


Hide And Seek

by sophie_evelyn



Series: A Face In The Crowd [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/F, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-04-17 03:17:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14179350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophie_evelyn/pseuds/sophie_evelyn
Summary: Regina thought that her nightmare had come to an end, little did she know that one far worse was about to begin and this time it wasn't just Regina who needed to be worried.Sequel to A Face In The Crowd.**On Hiatus**





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys,  
> So after months of planning and replanning (and maybe a little bit of procrastinating), I am finally ready to start posting the sequel to A Face In The Crowd.
> 
> If you haven't read it then please, please, please read that one before you read this as there are heavy spoilers from the start and throughout. 
> 
> Just a warning in advance that this fic does get a little darker than the previous one but I'll provide warnings before I post anything too dark.
> 
> I really hope that you guys enjoy this one and let me know what you think or if you have any questions! As before I shall do my best to post weekly. Happy reading!

Thursday, 20th July.

Summertime in London was a short-lived affair and on the rare occasion that the sun was out, Emma Swan made sure that she made the most of it.

She smiled, a smile so wide and full that she could feel her cheeks starting to ache but, still, she couldn’t remove that smile. Her happiness only grew when she took in the smile of her girlfriend who was sitting beside her.

Her dark hair shone beautifully in the sunlight and her soft, tan legs stretched over Emma’s own in a comfortable and relaxed manner. Regina was radiant, her smile so natural and effortless, it was one that Emma had never seen before on her. It was one of freedom, comfort, and most importantly safety. It was a smile that showed that all of her nightmares were finally over.

“To celebrate...” Emma started, and turned herself to scramble around behind, rummaging inside the picnic basket looking for the bottle of champagne that she had put in there earlier. “…All this being over.” She finished as she pulled out the large bottle along with two glasses.

“Are we allowed to drink in the park?” Regina asked, looking around at the vastly filled park, they hadn’t been the only people who had wanted to make the most of the sunshine.

Emma laughed and shook her head, “you forget that you’re dating a cop.” She winked playfully at Regina and held the bottle away from them while she opened it.

Regina held the glasses while Emma filled them up with the bubbly liquid. “Ah, the many benefits of dating a detective.”

“A toast to a fresh start.” Emma held her glass up and clinked it against Regina’s.

“To our new life,” Regina added before taking a small sip of the fizzy drink.

Emma placed her glass down firmly on the grass before turning to Regina. “I’m so relieved. God, I’ve never been happier with a court sentence in all my life.” Emma smiled again, they had just returned from the court having heard that Zelena had been found guilty on a number of charges against Regina. She had also been cleared of any mental health problems and was to be transferred to a women’s prison within the next few days.

“I’m glad that it all worked out. It’s all over.” Regina matched Emma’s smile with one of her own and sighed happily. The court appearance had been a much more stressful process than she had expected. She had to relive everything that Zelena had put her through and the recollection of such horrors had caused her many a sleepless night. It had come as a massive relief to both herself and Emma that they had received the result that they had both hoped for.

“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about her anymore. She’s finally gonna be where she deserves to be.” Emma pushed the sunglasses off of her face and onto her head to get a clearer view of her surroundings. This was the first day that she and Regina had truly been able to relax and enjoy her time off of work. DCI Gold had allowed for Emma to take some time off while the trial was going on, in fact, he had practically made her take the time off. It seemed that Robert Gold really did have a heart and Emma was starting to see him in an entirely different light.

Regina placed her glass of champagne down onto the edge of the picnic blanket and leaned across to Emma. “This is nice.” She breathed and leaned forward, placing a small kiss on Emma’s lips. This was going to be the first day of their new story and she wanted it to be as stress-free and as lovely as it possibly could be.

* * *

 

He watched them from behind the bushes, it was hot and he was beginning to sweat but he had the perfect view of them from where he was so there was no other option than to suck it up and remain there for as long as was needed. He wished he could lip read but unfortunately, he couldn’t so reading their body language would just have to suffice.

He had not been to the court that day, Zelena had told him to stay away from there; it was too risky, she had said. He had done what he had been told and he had to rely on social media to inform him of the verdict. She had been found guilty and would be moving to a prison within the next week. This had been what he and Zelena had expected; what they had planned and now that the first part of their plan had succeeded it meant that it was time for phase two.

The next part was perhaps the riskiest part yet, it was dangerous and many things could go wrong but it would be worth the risk because if it turned out to be a success then it meant that he and Zelena would be reunited and Zelena would get to have her final revenge on Regina. Not to mention he’d get the added bonus of toying with Emma Swan who he had come to grow quite fond of after a couple of months of watching her from afar. He stared at them a little more intensely, they really should enjoy the upcoming weekend because Monday was the day that marked the beginning of phase two and phase two was no laughing matter.


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this one, let me know if you have any questions!

Monday 24th July.

Killian stared back at his reflection in front of him, his hair was slicked back in a way that he was not used to and the uniform that he wore was almost like a costume. He felt out of his comfort zone and he was fully aware that this would be seen as crazy to anybody who didn’t know why it was that he was doing it. He swallowed; he needed to act as naturally as he could. He was Killian Jones, the new caretaker at Kensington Police Station.

It had been all his idea and Zelena had called it ‘genius’. He got to be closer to Emma and most importantly he could hear all of the important updates and information on anything regarding Zelena. He needed to draw as little attention to himself as he could, so far the only people that knew him prior to this work placement were Ruby and David and from what he had recalled they were hardly his biggest fans. He planned on changing that, he needed to be as charming and non-threatening as he could possibly be.

He had implemented this job placement a while ago after seeing the advertisement posted online. He had given up hacking phones and computers, the idea of doing such a job seemed too dicey now, especially if the police were to start looking into his source of incomes and linked them to his frequent visits to Zelena. That was why he had jumped at the chance of working at the police station and he had managed to put off his start date until just after the court date, stating that he had had prior engagements.

He opened the bathroom door and made his way to the janitor’s closet where he collected his things. It was still early and there were only a few members of staff wandering the halls. “Mornin’,” He called out as he entered the office complex and was met with confused, inquisitive looks from both David and Ruby.

“Morning,” David called back and glanced over at his partner who was still staring at Killian.

“Are you the guy who took the cleaning position?” Ruby asked as Killian plugged the vacuum cleaner into the wall. She returned a frown to David before continuing to watch Killian suspiciously.

“That’s right, started today.” He paused for a moment before walking over to the detectives and stretching out his hand. “I believe we’ve met before. I’m Killian Jones.”

David nodded and begrudgingly shook hands with the man who he had never warmed to. “That’s right, on the Regina Mills case.”

Killian could feel the uneasiness in the room and he needed to make sure that he kept David and Ruby on his side, so instead of acting defensively, he acted in a way that he knew would surprise the detectives. “What d’ya say we put all that behind us, huh?”

Ruby remained silent for a second as she considered what Killian’s ulterior motives could be but she came up with nothing. She nodded and shook his hand, “I think that’d be a good idea.”

There was another brief silence before Killian nodded and turned back to the job that he was about to start.

“We’ll leave you to your work then, see you around Killian,” David replied before motioning to Ruby to follow him outside.

Killian gave another nod before switching the vacuum cleaner on and watched out of the corner of his eye as Ruby and David left the room. He still wasn’t convinced that they were going to start over with him but he would just have to prove to them that he could be the ‘perfect’ employee; besides it only had to be for a short amount of time anyway.

Ruby followed closely behind David and walked out of the office and into the corridor. David looked behind his shoulder and waited until the door was closed before he turned to Ruby. “I was hoping I’d never see that arrogant twat again.”

Ruby let out a laugh which she had been holding in since she had first seen David’s disgruntled face upon seeing Killian. “You’re not the only one. Do you think we should let Emma know?”

David shrugged, “did she even meet him?”

“No, but he knows Regina…” Ruby began but was cut off by Emma who had just passed through the double doors at the end of the corridor.

“What about Regina?” Emma asked as she walked down the short corridor and stopped just ahead of Ruby.

Ruby and David looked at one another, both deciding whether they should tell Emma the truth or not.  Emma’s eyebrow started to furrow and David knew that that meant that she was beginning to suspect something. “The new cleaner…” He said and gave a sideways glance towards the closed door behind them, the sound of the vacuum cleaner still echoing from behind it. “Killian Jones, we interviewed him as a suspect in Regina’s case.”

“He was cleared though, right? And Zelena’s banged up now.” Emma said, the venom in her voice making itself known when she said Zelena’s name.

Ruby nodded, she and David had been in court on the day of Zelena’s verdict and they had both felt almost as pleased as Emma had when the Judge had called out ‘guilty’. “Yeah, that’s why we didn’t know whether to tell you or not.”

Emma smiled at each of the detectives, knowing that they always had her best interests at heart. “I read over his file before, he sounds like a jerk but Regina said back then that she had no reason to suspect him of anything. I’m sure him working here is just a coincidence.”

“Yeah, I thought so too.” Ruby replied and decided that the ‘Killian’ topic was already starting to bore her. “How was your weekend with Regina anyway? I’m sure you two did a whole lot of celebrating.”  She smirked at David who just chuckled while a small blush crept up on Emma’s cheeks.

* * *

 

Regina tutted as she read the headline on the front page of the newspaper which had just been delivered through her door. Sensationalism always sold, she knew that more than anybody but did they always have to be so crass? She threw the paper onto the dining room table; after her ordeal during the previous year, reading about another local crime was really an activity she’d rather not partake in.

She was about to return to her half-empty cup of coffee when she noticed a thin, white envelope lying on the floor below the letterbox. She had removed the old-fashioned mailbox which had previously sat in her front garden, the mailbox having provided her with too many unwanted memories, and she had instead installed a small letterbox into her front door. She frowned as she took in the small envelope, having not noticed it before.

She walked over and picked it up, examining it in the palms of her hands. There was no name, no address, and no postmark.

That familiar terror that she had thought would be long gone made an unwelcome return. Her hands shook as she turned the envelope over and over in her hands as if the very action could provide a name to the letter. Slowly she walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She remained to stare at the envelope; a growing feeling that she was being watched was constantly present in her mind.

Curiosity soon got the better of her and shakily she ripped open the envelope. A single piece of paper floated out of its paper cocoon. Bold, black letters dominated the page, the same font, and style as before staring back at her, the writing that she thought that she would never have to see again. Nervously, she read what it had to say:

_I may be gone but I’m never too far,_   
_I’m everywhere you think I could be._   
_Your home, your street, that ugly yellow car,_   
_You’ll never be able to escape from me._

A strangled cry escaped from Regina’s lips. This couldn’t be happening, not again. Surely, there could be no way that Zelena would have been able to send this to her. She was under strict discipline, wasn’t she?

She thought back to the last time that she had seen her sister’s face. She had been sitting beside Emma, her hand squeezing her tightly as she waited for the Judge to read the verdict. She had kept her head down, not wanting to look at Zelena, instead focusing on the polished wood floor below.

When the Judge had read the verdict, she had cried. She had never felt such relief in her life and she had hugged Emma for a long time as she too, cried with both relief and happiness. She had heard Ruby and David behind them and they had been discussing the jury and how they had made the right decision. And then she had let go of Emma and had cautiously looked up into the direction of where Zelena had been situated.

She had been handcuffed and she had a burly gentleman standing at either side of her. She had started to kick up a fuss, shouting obscenities in the direction of first the Judge and then the jury. As she was being escorted out of the courtroom she had turned towards Regina and she had stared; an ice cold stare which promised revenge and retribution. She had silenced herself once she had caught Regina’s eye and she had smiled.

And that smile had stuck with Regina despite how hard she had tried to get rid of it. She had looked so menacing; the sides of her mouth had been arched in such a way that it had reminded her of the Cheshire Cat. Her teeth had been gleaming and she had not blinked once, she had looked like a distorted doll and that image was one that she knew would stay with her for the rest of her life.

When Zelena had left the room, Emma had slipped her hand into hers and had not let go until they had arrived safely at her snug yellow bug. They had battled with the press who had all asked the same questions, cameras had been thrust in their faces and David had gotten startlingly close to physically hurting one of the reporters who had not taken no for an answer. When she had returned home, she had gone straight to bed, the exhaustion finally succeeding over her will to stay awake.

Regina placed the letter on the table; her more rational side telling her that there was no way that Zelena had sent her this letter. Her case had been widespread, even stretching as far as to the front page of many national newspapers not to mention the ever presence of the trial on social media. This had to be a copycat.

She scrunched the letter up into a ball and threw it into the bin. This was just some cruel joke from a disturbed member of the public who had taken Zelena’s side over hers. This was nothing and she would have been a fool to have taken this letter seriously.

“R’gina?” Emma called as she softly closed the front door behind her. Regina turned her head in the direction of the voice and stood up, quickly slipping the blank envelope into the bin also. She needn’t worry Emma about something so trivial.

“I’m in the kitchen,” she called back and in mere moments Emma had swept in, discarding her bag in the living room as she had done so.

Emma’s face lit up upon just seeing Regina, there was a newfound ease in their relationship now that Zelena was out of the picture indefinitely. Emma had never experienced a relationship such as this one before and she reveled in every single minute that she got to spend with Regina. “I’ve missed you.” She whispered as she slipped comfortably into Regina’s arms and looped her fingers through the chocolate locks which hung around Regina’s shoulders.

Regina smiled warmly and captured Emma’s lips gently with her own, “I’ve missed you too.” She breathed and pulled Emma closer to her. She had already put Emma through so much and Emma deserved nothing but happiness. There was no way that one, silly letter from a disgruntled bystander was going to come in between them; Emma would never have to know.

* * *

 

Zelena sat alone in the isolated visitor room, she had been extremely lucky to have been allowed a visit so close to her moving date. She had been even luckier to get an isolated visit and so she planned on making the most of this one, making sure to trudge meticulously through her and Killian’s plan. Of course, there was little that she could do, most of the action came down to Killian and if he messed this up for her then she wouldn’t know what she would do next. All she could do was trust him and trust was something that did not come naturally to her.

She watched the clock impatiently as Killian still remained absent; he sure knew how to test her patience. She thought back to the reason she was doing this; Regina. The last time she had seen her was in that courtroom, she looked happy, almost smug. She made sure that she had not appeared weak or defeated in front of Regina and for the entire trial, she had remained unremorseful, up until that very last moment when she was being dragged out of that building.

She had grinned at Regina hoping that she’d get the message that this was far from over. She was positive that she had succeeded in that because in the very last moment, Regina had looked worried and that slight look of uncertainty was all that she had needed to know that Regina was going to second guess her own safety. So Zelena held on to that image of Regina as if it were some kind of saving grace and maybe it was, for it was the only image that she needed in her head to remind herself that her plan needed to be a success.

A loud clang echoed through the room as the heavy steel door was pulled open by a guard and Killian walked into the room two seconds later. “Z,” He smirked, that boyish smirk which held just enough maliciousness to drive her crazy. “How you holdin’ up?” He asked and pulled her into an awkward hug.

She tensed and pushed him away, there was no time for anything other than discussing the plan. This meeting could only last ten minutes and Killian had already wasted two of them by being late. “Fabulously, what do you think?” She rolled her eyes and sat back on the chair while Killian took the seat opposite her on the other side of the table.  “Did you deliver the letter?” She asked in a hushed tone, she had gotten into the habit of speaking in a whisper and she didn’t want to break that until she was safely on the other side of these walls.

“Yeah, bet she’s freaking out as we speak.” He smiled smugly; he had followed Zelena’s instructions perfectly, typing it up precisely and using the exact words which she had told him to, he had even made sure to pay the paperboy to deliver it alongside the newspaper, just in case those pesky security cameras outside Regina's house were to catch him.

Zelena bared a toothy grin, “brilliant.” That letter would be enough to unsettle her sister; she’d be a paranoid mess in no time. “And how are you finding your new job? Aroused any suspicions yet?”

Killian shook his head, slightly annoyed that Zelena seemed to be underestimating him. “I’m the perfect gent, they don’t suspect a thing.” He shifted in his seat, not quite meeting Zelena’s eye. “You know the day you’re moving yet?”

“I leave here at 7 am on Thursday.” Zelena uttered, still unsure of just how loud she could speak without being overheard. “They’re taking me to Larkhall Prison; they’ll be just me in the van along with the driver so you won’t have to worry about getting rid of any witnesses.” She confirmed and hoped that nothing was set to change in the days leading up to her escape. “Have you got everything arranged? The cars? The other driver? Please tell me that everything is in place.” She began to panic, hating that she was having to rely so heavily on Killian.

“Calm down, love. Everything is sorted. Went to the scrap yard last week and found myself two shitty cars, my old pal Michael still owes me one and he’s gonna be helping me out with the plan. You can trust him; he’s got a lot to lose if he fucks it up.” Killian folded his arms and waited for Zelena to calm down once again.

She nodded as if in a trance, wrapping her head around the details. “Okay. You better not let me down.” She said, the vulnerability in her voice was impossible to be kept hidden.

“I got this.” He stretched his hands across the table and cusped them around hers. “And our den is all set and waiting for us.” He added and took in Zelena’s exterior. She had lost a lot of weight and looked visibly frail, her hair was unwashed and had been pulled back into a ponytail. She looked ill, he knew if he failed her then she may not even want to be around to try another plan. Failure was no longer an option for him.

She smiled once her breathing had got into check, “thank you, Killian.” She said, and for the first time, she truly believed that he was one hundred percent on her side. “Now, we still have five minutes. How about I show you how grateful I am?” She asked with a smirk and stood up, walking around to the other side of the table and flinging herself on to his lap.


	3. Checkmate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, hope you enjoy this one!

Tuesday 25th July.

DI Emma Swan sighed as she sifted through another pile of paperwork. She had been participating in this menial task for the past two hours and it seemed as if the mountain of paperwork which sat on the desk beside her was endless. She had sent David and Ruby out to investigate a robbery which had taken place a couple of hours ago at Kensington train station. She had wanted to go herself but she knew that her time would be better spent catching up on the paperwork which she had missed during her time off of work.

She was now regretting that decision. Her eyes seemed to gloss over with every attempt that she made of actually filling in her forms and her pen spent more time being nibbled on than actually writing anything. She thought back to the last few months that she and Regina had shared.

It had been difficult during the build-up to the trial. Zelena’s case had been a hard one and it had seemed to have changed every week. Zelena had hired Sidney Glass as her lawyer who was notorious for playing unfairly. He had delved into a number of issues in hopes to get Zelena the innocent verdict. One of those was that of Emma’s anger. He had snooped around all of her old cases, asking practically everyone that he could about how she had behaved with them.

Sidney’s meddling had resulted in many meetings between herself and DCI Gold as well as many forgotten cases being drug back up and re-investigated. Ultimately, Sidney had found no wrongdoings on Emma’s part but it still provided her with a lot of added stress which she really could have done without. Not to mention, it had given her more reason to be angry in the first place.

Since then she had enrolled in therapy to find better ways to release her anger. She had only been attending for a few months so far but it seemed to be helping her quite a bit. Instead of blowing off steam by shouting or hurting herself, she would now take time out to collect her thoughts and take deep breaths before acting on her anger.

Regina had supported her the whole way and she, too, had enrolled in therapy. Regina attended much more frequently than Emma did and although it was confidential she often liked to talk about her discussions with Emma afterward. Emma also liked to share with Regina what she had experienced in her appointments, in a way, it felt more real to her to be able to speak about it with somebody else and there was nobody else that she would rather share things with than Regina.

Killian had spent approximately ten minutes cleaning up a small spillage in the corner of the office. He was absentmindedly wiping a cloth over the already clean surface, his eyes glued to the daydreaming Emma Swan who was sitting at her desk at the other side of the office complex. He had yet to speak to her but he felt as if he knew her better than he knew most of his family members.

At that moment Emma caught his eye and she sent him a friendly smile before swiftly writing something on the paper in front of her. Killian froze for a moment, having not expected Emma to even notice that he was there let alone acknowledge him. He took Emma’s smile towards him as an excuse to talk to her and so he left his station and made his way over to Emma’s desk; Zelena’s words ‘ _get rid of her’_ echoing in the back of his mind the entire time.

Emma could feel a presence by her side almost immediately after she had started to read the report in front of her. She glanced up and was a little annoyed to see Killian standing there with a simpering grin on his face.

“Killian Jones, I don’t think we’ve officially met before.” He introduced himself and offered his hand; shaking Emma’s a little too firmly once she had placed her hand into his.

“DI Emma Swan,” she answered. Killian, in person, looked exactly the same as he did in his mugshot. She withdrew her hand from his as soon as she possibly could, feeling slightly unnerved, everything she had heard about this man had been negative.

Killian placed both of his hands in his pockets and lingered at Emma’s desk for a moment, “what’s that you’re working on?”

“It’s confidential,” Emma replied and quickly turned over the paper so that Killian could not read it.

“Are a lot of things confidential around here?” He asked and leaned back on to the edge of the desk, his eyes raking over Emma in a leering fashion.

Emma glared at him in response, instantly understanding why it was that David and Ruby had taken such a dislike to him. “Yeah.”

Killian chuckled sarcastically, “no need to be like that, Swan.”

“Like what?” Emma challenged and continued to stare at him; she had faced up to many a ‘Killian’ before.

Killian laughed and shook his head as he did so. “Y’know, you look cute all angry like that.”

Emma rolled her eyes and stood up from her desk, stacking the papers up into one large pile. “I’m not angry and you will not talk to me like that again, do you understand?” She looked back at him, her stare not faltering once.

Killian held his hands up defensively. “Whatever you say, Swan.” He matched her stare with one of his own before he gestured downwards. “I need to clean your desk.”

Emma grabbed the pile of papers and held them close to her chest deciding that she would have better company working from home than in the office. Besides, with David and Ruby already occupied, there was little reason for her to have to remain in the office. “That’s DI Swan to you.” She emphasized and stormed out of the office, she could tell that having to work alongside Killian was going to be a challenge.

* * *

Since returning to her writing job Regina had found that words seemed to flow more easily than they had done before. She wasn’t sure why that was, maybe she had just needed some time away from the laptop or maybe her new found inspiration was down to a certain blonde.

She took a long gulp of coffee while she started to proofread her article. Her focus remained completely on the word filled screen in front of her, each word flowing through her head in perfect formation as her eyes darted back and forth.

A loud crash shattered her concentration and her body jumped violently, a splash of coffee spilling onto the floor. She looked around immediately, the panic which she hadn’t experienced for so long had returned instantly and her heartbeat had already increased to unnatural levels.

“Hello?” She called out, her voice shaky and weak. She placed her mug on the desk and cautiously stood up. “Is anybody there?” There was no answer. Had she really expected one?

She grabbed her phone from the desk and walked out of the room. She wanted to call Emma but what if it had been nothing. It was probably nothing, right?

It was probably the wind blowing over a pile of boxes in the living room, it was a warm day and the window was open enough for a breeze to make its way inside.

Silence remained as she walked downstairs, her brain was desperately trying to grasp onto anything innocent that could have caused that noise. Since receiving that letter yesterday she had been on edge, all the feelings which she had thought that she had gotten over had returned and this time they felt stronger than ever before.

“Hey, babe.” Emma called and her smile faltered as she took in the shell-shocked appearance of Regina who was standing frozen on the middle of the staircase. “You okay?”

A sigh of relief echoed through the room as Regina allowed her body to relax upon seeing Emma in front of her. “Emma.” She whispered, sliding the phone into the pocket of her blazer as she skipped down the remainder of the stairs trying to act as naturally as she could. “You scared me, that’s all.” She shrugged her shoulders and gave Emma a kiss on the cheek once she had reached her.

“Sorry, my hands were full so the door slammed.” Emma placed the stack of case files onto the side table before turning back to Regina. She placed either hand on Regina’s elbows and a frown crept onto her face. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

Regina managed a smile. “I thought, I thought. Never mind I was being stupid.” She laughed then but she knew instantly that Emma would get the truth out of her sooner or later, she always did.

Emma bit her bottom lip as she realized what Regina had thought. “Hey, you’re not being stupid. It’s natural to be jumpy after what you’ve been through. I should have known better.” She wrapped her arm around Regina’s shoulders, considering whether or not to tell her about her previous run-in with Killian Jones. She thought better of it though, Regina seemed in no such mood to discuss old work colleagues. “How about I make you some coffee? I’m dying for one myself.”

* * *

“Checkmate.”  Zelena chimed triumphantly as she won yet another game of Chess against a fellow patient who more than likely didn’t know how to play the game.

The patient, a young girl who couldn’t have been much older than twenty-one smiled at the redhead, having grown quite fond of her since her arrival at the hospital. “Is it true that you’re leaving?” She asked, the sadness in her eyes shining brightly at the possible loss of her only friend.

Zelena grinned from ear to ear and leaned closer to the girl. “Yes, but it’s not what you think.” She looked over her shoulder to make sure that no nosy nurse was likely to overhear anything that she said. “Can you keep a secret?”

The girl nodded eagerly before leaning in even closer, adopting the secretive performance that Zelena had put in place. “I won’t tell anybody, I promise.”

Zelena nodded, not really believing the girl but knowing that nobody in the hospital spoke to her so she wasn’t too worried about her escape becoming that of hospital gossip. “They think that they’ll be moving me to Larkhall prison but there’s going to be an interception.”

“What do you mean?” The girl’s forehead creased.

“There’s no way that I will be going to prison. The only place that I’m going is straight back to London.”

“How?” The girl asked, getting more confused each time that Zelena informed her of her future plans.

Zelena cackled, “I’ve said too much already. Just be sure to watch the 6 o’clock news on Thursday.” She pushed her chair out and felt somewhat satisfied with how loud it had scraped across the hard floor. She probably shouldn’t have told anybody of her plan but she simply could not keep it to herself any longer. Besides what was the point of having a perfect plan if you couldn’t brag about it?

* * *

Emma had known that something had been bothering Regina ever since she had startled her a couple of hours ago. She had spent her time since then trying and failing to complete her paperwork. She was now in the kitchen alongside Regina; the two of them often cooked dinner together, Regina teaching Emma new recipes which she had picked up over the years. Ready meals were quickly becoming a thing of the past in Emma’s life and she was becoming more and more confident in the kitchen due to Regina’s help.

Things seemed tense though, there were more silences than there usually would be and Emma couldn’t help but notice that Regina had been avoiding looking her in the eye. Emma sighed and placed her knife down on the chopping board, abandoning the half cut carrot as she did so. “Is everything all right?” She asked the brunette and walked over to where she was standing on the other side of the kitchen.

Regina had been trying to avoid this conversation from happening, she had thought that she had been doing reasonably well at ‘acting normally’ but apparently her poker face wasn’t as strong as she had first thought.  “Yes, why wouldn’t it be?” She asked, again trying to keep up her act. She hated keeping things from Emma but she didn’t want Emma to be drawn back into this drama which she had so hoped was to remain in the past.

Emma’s approach softened, flashbacks coming back to her of the previous year when she had first met Regina and how she had been so defiant on remaining strong and detached from her terrifying situation. She’d like to think that things had changed between them since then. “’Gina, I know there’s something bugging you, what is it?”

Regina’s shoulders hunched slightly upon hearing that soft tone to Emma’s voice. She wouldn’t think of lying to her and she knew Emma far too well than to think that she would drop this. “I received a letter earlier,” she said quietly and wiped her hands on a cloth before turning to face Emma.

Emma frowned, her heartbeat increasing immediately as she processed what Regina had meant. “What do you mean? Like a letter like before?”

Regina nodded, “yes.”

“Let me see it,” Emma moved forward a little so she could place her hand in Regina’s.

Regina clasped onto Emma, still not happy about telling her the truth but appreciative of the support that she was showing. “I threw it away,” she whispered and shrugged as if it were no big deal.

Emma’s forehead creased, “why would you do that for?”

Regina pulled away from Emma and folded her arms over her chest. Her walls beginning to shoot up with each question that Emma asked her. “It was more than likely a joke; some children must have seen my case online.”

Emma shook her head, a little hurt that Regina had distanced herself from her. “Regina, this is no joke. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“I didn’t want you to worry... to act like this?” Regina threw up her hands, her good intentions for keeping this to herself completely backfiring and creating something far worse.

“Act like what? Concerned?” Emma’s voice had risen involuntarily and she was balling her fists to try and keep herself as calm as she possibly could.

Regina’s voice rose to match with Emma’s, “I didn’t want you to get angry; I know that you’re…”

“Stop! Do not bring that into this.” Emma cut her off and gripped onto one of the kitchen chairs in attempts to regain her composure. The last thing she wanted to talk about was herself and her own problems which she was still trying to deal with.

There was a pause while Regina considered what to do next; she knew that mentioning Emma’s anger issues was a low blow. She allowed Emma to continue with her breathing exercises before lowering her voice and speaking once Emma had seemed to recover somewhat. “Emma, please. This is my battle.”

Emma looked at Regina, her grip on the chair had loosened but the harshness in her voice still remained. “ _Our_ battle. We’re a team, Regina. I could’ve found out who sent that letter.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference. It’s not like it could’ve been from her anyway.”

“You don’t know that for certain.”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you. We had just moved on. It was all over.” Regina’s voice broke upon the last word but she covered it quickly by turning her back to Emma and staring into nothingness instead.

“So you wanted to keep it to yourself and start living your life in fear all over again?”

Regina turned back around at that. “That’s not fair.” She looked at Emma who had come so far with her anger management classes and she hated that she was causing her more stress which was probably down to nothing if her suspicions were correct. “I wanted to protect you.”

“I’m not the one who needs to be protected.” Emma bit down on her bottom lip, feeling as if her own issues were becoming a burden to Regina. “I’m gonna go for a drive.”

“No. Please stay.” Regina cried before she had even had the chance to think about what it was that she had said. She grabbed Emma’s hand before she had the chance to move, the fear of being left alone again proving to be stronger than anything else. “I don’t want to be on my own, not tonight.”

“Regina…” Emma breathed, and her anger seemed to dissipate when she saw how frightened Regina appeared to be. This letter had clearly shaken her more than she was letting on. She squeezed her hand softly and rubbed her thumb over the back of her hand, “I just wish you would’ve told me right away.”

Regina smiled sadly, regretting that she hadn’t come to Emma sooner; it probably would have saved her a lot of worries. “Like I said, it’s probably nothing. I should have told you, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I did overreact, I just, I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting you again.” Emma pulled Regina in for a hug and closed her eyes. She listened until the pounding of her heart returned to that steady rhythm that she had grown familiar to. The truth was that she was terrified for Regina. The first thing that she would be doing the next morning would be paying Zelena a visit; she needed to know for certain that that letter had not come from her. She hoped more than anything that Regina was right and it had just been from some stupid kid because she had no idea how Regina would survive if she had to relive her previous nightmare all over again.


	4. Something Bad's About To Happen

Wednesday 26th July.

Every minute that Emma had spent waiting had felt like a lifetime. She hadn’t told Regina that she was going to be visiting Zelena; she knew that Regina wouldn’t want her to. Not because she didn’t want to get some answers from her but more so because she would worry that Zelena would get under Emma’s skin, which she more than likely would.

There was a loud shuffling sound coming from outside of the small visitor's room which Emma had been waiting in which meant that Zelena was about to make her entrance. Emma took a deep breath and regretted not coming up with a plan on how to structure this ‘off the record’ interview with her.

Before she had a chance to think up a quick plan of action, the door had been opened and Zelena was being led in by two nurses. “Emma!” Zelena shrieked with an eerie smile. “What a surprise, I trust you are looking after my sister?”

Emma continued to remain silent, not wanting to entertain Zelena with an answer. She waited until she had sat down and the nurses had walked to the corner of the room before she spoke. “How are you finding it in here?”

Zelena was a little annoyed that Emma hadn’t mentioned Regina, in fact, the only reason she was looking forward to this meeting was to get an update on Regina, not that she had expected Emma Swan to provide her with much of one, mind you. “Oh, it’s just lovely. Who needs a white noise machine when you can fall asleep to the sounds of screaming loons all night?” Zelena shifted in her seat and continued to think of ways that she could get Emma to mention her sister.

Emma rolled her eyes; she wanted to get out of there as soon as she could. She had already spoken to the management team who had confirmed that there was no way that Zelena could have sent a letter to Regina however; she wanted to ask Zelena in person. That way she could watch Zelena’s body language and her reaction, a small part of her also wanted to see how Zelena was taking the news that she would be leaving for prison in just a days’ time. “So you haven’t been keeping yourself entertained with any letter writing then?”

Zelena laughed, her head throwing itself backward with raucous excitement. “Regina is still getting fan mail? How fantastic!” She sputtered through laughter. She had not been thrown off by the question at all, in fact, she had expected it. Why else would DI Emma Swan be here visiting her after Regina’s trial had already concluded?

Emma bit her lip so as not to answer sarcastically; the sound of Regina’s name passing through Zelena’s lips filled her with a bitter rage which she had to try her hardest to keep hidden. She stared at her, completely unamused by her sudden outburst which was only just coming to an end. “So you didn’t send a letter to Regina’s house?”

“No, but whoever did deserves a bloody medal.”  Zelena remained amused, making sure that she did not reveal that she had a partner on the outside, let alone one that worked so closely with Emma.

Zelena’s attitude was becoming annoying extremely quickly and Emma had had enough of her. She was sure that Zelena hadn’t been the writer of Regina’s mysterious letter and now it was time for her to be the one with the upper hand. “Have you ever been to Larkhall Prison before, Zelena?”

Zelena shrugged, a little thrown off by Emma’s change in subject. “I’m sure it’s simply lovely.”

Now it was Emma’s turn to look amused. “You couldn’t be more wrong. You have it easy here, you got protection and your own private room but in prison, in prison, you won’t get any of that. And you know what, everyone in there is gonna see you as what you are. You better make the most of your last day here cos those women in Larkhall are gonna eat you alive.”

Zelena chuckled once again; if only Emma knew that she would never get the chance to see that prison. “That’s a nice tale, Em. But the truth is I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

“Oh, me either.” Emma stood up abruptly from the table, she was finished with this conversation and frankly, she would be happy with never having to see Zelena ever again. “Goodbye, Zelena.”

“Can you give a message to Regina for me?” Zelena called out over her shoulder just as Emma had reached the door.

Emma turned on her heel, “what?”

“Tell her I miss her and that I’ll be seeing her very soon.” Zelena smiled, her eyes twinkling with a warped sense of longing.

“Go to hell, Zelena.” Emma seethed and walked out of the room without giving Zelena another look. It confused her how Zelena could feel no guilt for what she had done. Regina had been innocent; her only fault was that she was Cora’s daughter and yet, Zelena could never see that. It was something that Emma would never be able to understand.

* * *

The office that day was particularly humid, the air conditioning was currently awaiting repair and all they could rely on to survive the heat was a few desk fans which had been found in storage. Killian had just finished his morning shift and was about to head out when he heard the voice which he had missed hearing that day.

“Sorry... Sorry…” Emma called out in all directions as she rushed into the office, a number of eyes starting to look at her as she did so. She had planned on coming straight to work after her visit with Zelena, however after their encounter, she was in no mood to be around people so instead, she had gone for a long drive with her music on full blast. It seemed to have worked for the most part; she certainly no longer felt like stabbing anyone at least.

“Where you been, Sarge?” David asked and swiveled around on his chair so that he was facing Emma who ventured straight to her own desk to be met by another pile of paperwork.

Emma skimmed through the documents on her desk, trying to prioritize the most important ones but they all looked of equal significance. She looked up upon hearing David’s question. “I went to see Zelena.”

Killian froze at that, he hadn’t expected that answer at all. He walked out of the complex so as not to be caught eavesdropping. He hovered by the double doors, pretending to read the flyers on the notice board. From his position, he could just about hear what was being said while being able to look as inconspicuous as possible.

“Zelena?” Ruby asked; her attention well and truly caught by this revelation. “Why the hell would you wanna visit her for?”

Emma stopped shuffling the paperwork and instead laid her hands on top of the pile. “Regina received an anonymous letter on Monday. I needed to be sure that it wasn’t from Zelena.”

David choked, “she what?”

“What did it say? It can’t have been from Zelena though, right?” Ruby questioned, equally as shocked as David had been.  
  
Emma shrugged, trying to dissect the most important question from the sudden barrage which she had been attacked with. “The hospital staff confirmed that there was no way that Zelena could have sent anything.”

Ruby shook her head as she tried to digest all of the details. It seemed that Regina could never catch a break. “Who do you think sent it?”  
  
Emma shrugged once more, “I have no idea. There’s not much we can go on, Regina tossed the letter as soon as she got it.”

“Crap, what’s your gut saying?” David asked; having worked with Emma for a number of years he knew that Emma’s instinct was more often than not correct. It was one of the reasons why she had progressed so quickly in the job.

Emma thought for a moment, she still wasn’t entirely certain that this was down to a copycat. She wished that she had the letter to look over; she wanted to pick over every little thing and compare them to the letters that Regina had received in the past. “I dunno. I don’t like it. Gina thinks it’s a copycat but there’s no way of telling.”

“If she gets another one, we’ll make sure to put it as our top case. How is she holding up?”

“She’s, well, she’s Regina. You guys know what she’s like.”

“Bottling it all up, huh?” Ruby said, thinking back to the first couple of meetings that she had had with Regina.

David walked over to Emma and squeezed her shoulder softly, “you should take the afternoon off, make sure she’s okay.”

Ruby nodded, “yeah, we’ll hold the fort here and Gold’s in budgeting meetings with the officials for the rest of the day.”

Emma smiled and stood up from her desk, “you guys are the best, I owe you.”

Killian had started walking as soon as he heard those words leave Emma’s mouth. He hastily scurried down the corridor and into the carpark, ignoring the fact that he had not signed out nor retrieved his belongings from his locker. What had Emma asked Zelena? Had she mentioned him at all? He took a deep breath once he had reached his van. Zelena was clever; she wouldn’t have mentioned anything that could jeopardize her escape. He leaned on the door, the warm metal helping him gain his senses. His paranoia seemed to be out of control lately, he couldn’t wait until all of this was over.

He was about to leave and finalize the last details of his plan for the next day when he saw the familiar blonde hair of Emma Swan sweep past him. He knew he should have ignored her but he couldn’t, it was as if his feet had detached from his brain because before he knew it he was beside that yellow bug. “Emma, do you need a lift home?”

Emma frowned; she had purposefully been trying to ignore Killian ever since she had seen him in the carpark. “What do you think?” She asked and gestured to her car which Killian was now, rudely leaning on.

“Right?” He laughed; he could feel Emma’s impatience growing as each second passed. “You seem stressed.” He pondered for a moment, not knowing how far he should push her.

Emma sighed; a run in with Killian was the last thing that she wanted. “Just in a hurry, so if you don’t mind.” She fumbled in her jeans pocket and pulled out her car keys moments later.

He ignored her previous comment, “I can help you relieve some of that stress if you want?” He ran his hand down her bare arm with a seedy grim embedded on his face.

Emma shivered and in an instant she had Kilian’s hand locked tightly in the taut grip of her own. “Don’t touch me!” She shouted and glared at him until his grin had disappeared and was replaced with a look which she couldn’t quite decipher.

Killian pulled back his hand and placed it in the pocket of his jacket. “Calm down, Swan. Was just tryna be friendly, s’all.”

“We’re not friends. And if you ever do something like that again I’m going straight to Inspector Gold and he’ll get your ass fired, you understand?” She was clenching her fists, as if today hadn’t tested her enough, she now had the added bonus of corrupt Killian to deal with.

“I hear ya, Swan.”

“I told you before, it’s DI Swan.” Emma got inside her car before she could even hear Killian’s reply; all she wanted to do was see Regina. After the day she had, she needed her more than ever.

Killian had no other option but to step back as Emma forcefully reversed her bug out of the parking space. “Yes. DI Swan.” He uttered under his breath and watched as she sped off out of the car park and down the road. This revenge was going to be even sweeter than he had first thought it would be.

* * *

“Regina?” Emma called softly as she let herself into their home. She was still feeling uneasy from both her encounters with Zelena and with Killian. She needed to fill Regina in on what happened with Zelena and she wanted to know just how much Regina knew about Killian Jones and the way that he had behaved when she had worked with him all those years ago.

Regina smiled warmly as Emma walked into the living room, she hadn’t expected her to return from work so early but she was pleased that she had because she had already finished her week’s work and she was beginning to feel the boredom about to kick in yet again. “Emma? You’re back early.”

Emma nodded and sat down beside Regina on the couch pulling her into a hug before she could utter another word. She had held all of her emotions in thus far but as soon as she saw Regina she knew that she couldn’t keep them in any longer. Regina was the only person that she wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable around and so she held onto her, breathing deeply as each of her shielded emotions escaped from her.

Regina held onto Emma tightly, giving her as much time as she needed. Emma had been her rock over the past few months and it was now her turn to step in and be there for Emma when she needed her. “What’s happened?” She asked softly, still holding on to her.

Emma waited until her breathing had resumed to a normal pace before answering, “I’ve had the worst day.”

“Tell me about it, sweetheart.” Regina prompted, her head filling with a million possible scenarios each one worse than the previous.

Emma let out a sigh of relief; just being in Regina’s arms was all the comfort that she needed. She let go of Regina but still remained impossibly close to her. “I went to see Zelena; I needed to know that she wasn’t involved with that letter.”

Regina laid her hands on top of Emma’s, linking their fingers together with ease. “Emma, you didn’t have to do that.”

She squeezed Regina’s palms tightly; she knew Regina was going to say that. “I did, I couldn’t risk it. I don’t think that she sent it.”

“That’s good. “ Regina nodded once to herself, satisfied that Zelena had not sent it if Emma believed that she hadn’t. “What did she say to you?”

Emma shook her head; the last thing she wanted was to scare Regina any more than she already was. And she could tell that Regina was scared despite her protests because really, how could she not be in this situation? “You don’t need to worry about that. She’ll be in prison where she belongs tomorrow.”

Regina had grown to know Emma even more than she knew herself over the past months and so she knew exactly what Emma looked like when she was worried. And that slight distant look in her eyes confirmed that Emma was indeed very worried about something. She swallowed, that guilt once again flooding her, had it not been for her then Emma may not have ever met Zelena. “Zelena talks a lot and much of what she says is just a figment of her imagination. She always had that insane imagination which was enthralling when you’re eleven years old but it doesn’t seem to age well. Whatever it was that she said to you, Emma, it doesn’t hold any truth. You were the one who taught me not to be afraid of her anymore and I want you to know that you don’t need to be either.”

Emma smiled and tangled her fingers gently into Regina’s hair, it wasn’t herself that she was afraid for, it was Regina but she couldn’t tell her that without revealing to her the threat that Zelena had made. “I love you, so much.” She whispered and allowed her forehead to fall gently against Regina’s.

“I love you, too.” Regina smiled and placed a tender kiss on Emma’s lips.

Emma reveled in Regina’s caress and although she was still terrified for Regina, she decided that there was nothing more that she could do, at least not for now. She frowned as she recalled the other problem on her mind. “You worked with Killian Jones, didn’t you?”

Regina nodded, unsure as to why Emma had randomly brought up her past colleague. “Yes, why?”

“He’s our new caretaker. Was he always a super creep?” 

“I never really worked with him directly but I heard many stories about him. Is he bothering you?” Regina asked, her protectiveness over Emma beginning to heighten once more.

Emma shook her head with a slight smirk as she recalled the pained look in Killian’s eye when she had his hand clamped in her own, “I can handle him, trust me.” She gave Regina a peck on the lips before standing up from the couch and stretching. “I’m starving, do you want some food?”

Regina chuckled, “you’re always starving.” She stood up and followed Emma into the kitchen.

“Not true!” Emma laughed and headed straight to the cupboard in hopes of finding anything which was covered in chocolate.

* * *

He wasn’t the biggest of men and he certainly didn’t have the most money but what he did have was fearlessness. He had little to lose which meant that he wasn’t afraid to threaten men twice his size in order to get what he wanted, and more often than not this behavior worked in his favor.

Killian looked at the nervous man standing in front of him. His name was Michael; he was a small, chubby man who had known Killian ever since high school. They used to be friends but Michael soon fell in love and now he was a family man with three children and one more on the way. He was a model citizen and Killian knew that his wife would provide him with an alibi if he ever needed one; he was also devoted to his family and would do anything to keep them safe. In Killian’s eyes, he was the perfect person to help pull off this plan.

“Are you sure we’re not going to get caught?” Michael asked, his teeth practically gnawing off his bottom lip. Before this the only illegal thing that he had ever done was steal a Mars bar from the local corner shop, never in a million years would he think that he’d be helping a dangerous felon escape from prison.

Killian balled a fist but let it drop after a mere moment. “That’s what I said ain’t it?” He handed the keys to the stolen car over to the man. “Just do what I said and it’ll all work out fine and you’ll be back just in time for dinner.”

Michael held the keys between his thumb and forefinger and stared at them harshly as if the glare from the metal could burn through his skin. “What if they find the car, my DNA will be all over it.”

Killian sighed again as if he had been through this plan a million times, and in his head he probably had. “Leave it where I told you to and I’ll burn it, all the evidence will be gone.”

Michael pondered this for a second before raising another concern. “And what if I get caught on camera? There’s CCTV everywhere.”

“That’s what this is for.” Killian pulled out a rubber mask from his duffle bag, the kind of mask you see on Halloween which covers your entire face as well as most of your neck.

Michael held on to the mask, the grotesque mangled zombie-like face staring up at him. “Are you sure there ain’t some other way to do this?”

A laugh escaped from Killian which seemed to catch Michael off guard. “You love your family don’t ya, mate?” He asked, leaning in uncomfortably close to the man who stood before him.

Michael nodded, the taste of bile threatening to rise from his throat. “Ye-yeah.”

“Then you do this and you ask no more questions.” He spat, the words coming out a little slurred from the alcohol which still lingered on his breath. He reached his hand into his bag once more and removed an item so threatening that it took the words out of Michael’s mouth.

“How did you get that?” Michael whispered, his eyes glued to the weapon. He had never seen a gun this close up before and knowing that it was in the hands of Killian Jones only scared him more.

“Never you mind, just do what I say and I won’t need to use it, alright?” He placed the gun back into his bag and patted Michael on the back for good measure. “Oh, and don’t even think about going to the police. I work there now, remember?” He smirked; Michael needn’t know just what little sway he had in the police force. “Meet me tomorrow at 6 am, main show starts at 7, got it?”

Michael nodded and stuffed the mask and the keys into his backpack. There was no way out of this if he wanted to see his family alive and well. He would be meeting Killian in the early hours of the morning and he would be doing exactly what he had been told to. There was no use arguing with Killian anymore, tomorrow he would be committing a crime and he had a feeling that nothing would ever be the same again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Killian's getting a little creepier now too... I hope you guys enjoy this one, let me know what you think!


	5. The Great Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, I'm sorry guys! This one is a little dramatic but I hope you enjoy it!

Thursday 27th July.

“Please, no!” He cried and could feel the tears building up in his eyes. He hated it when he cried; he hated showing weakness especially in front of his father. He edged back as far as he could, his back hitting the wall as he watched his father’s face contort into an angry aggression led by that alcoholic substance which he despised so much.

A shooting pain seared through him as darkness took over his vision. He lay on the floor, curled into a fetal position, his hearing kept coming and going and each time it returned all he could hear was the heavy grunting of his father screaming curse words at him.

“No!” Killian shouted and jolted upright in his bed. Sweat was dripping from his forehead and he struggled to catch his breath. He had been plagued with these nightmares for years and yet each time they seemed more real. He took a series of deep breathes, he had no time to think about the past when today marked the beginning of his future.

* * *

Killian drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, nervously waiting.  He glanced down at the clock on the dashboard, still reasonably unfamiliar with the car that he was sitting in. He had his phone positioned in the drinks holder, the GPS system shining back at him. He was in position and all that he could do was wait.

Michael was parked up in neutral, waiting for that call from Killian and then it would be his turn to become part of the action. He had left early that morning, before any of his family had even stirred, if they knew what he was about to do then they would surely disown him. But he had no choice; if he didn’t do it then Killian would make him pay and he knew that Killian was a man of his word.

The lorry he was sitting in was bigger than anything he had ever driven before and he was worried that he would mess things up because despite what Killian had told him, this plan was patchy at best. Killian was waiting at the corner of a residential street, keeping a look out for when the van carrying Zelena would drive past and when it did he was going to call him. And then, it was up to him to do the rest. Killian had assured him that it would be easy and that nobody would die but how could he be sure that would be the case? And how could he live with himself if he did end up getting blood on his hands?

Before he knew it his phone was ringing, he rejected the call and placed his shaking hands onto the steering wheel. This was it. He was about to become a criminal and a major one at that. He pushed his foot down on the pedal, the van sputtering to a start. He wanted to close his eyes, to imagine that he was anywhere but there but he knew he had to focus; he had only one shot to get this right. He sat up straight, his eyes wide and adrenaline filled and he pushed his foot down harder, the van instantly picking up speed.

Zelena was sitting in the back of the van, it was reasonably dark and she was cold and tired from having no sleep whatsoever the night before. She was isolated, her hands cuffed, with nothing but the hum of the journey to keep her company. There was one driver, a grumpy man who was separated from her by a metal gridded divide. As far as she knew they were running to schedule but there was no way that she could really tell.

She rested her head back onto the cool metal steel of the van; she had spent so much time thinking about pulling off her escape that she didn’t really have a plan set for anything farther in the future. All she knew was that she was going to make Regina pay, she wanted to watch her suffer, show her what it felt like to be entirely alone as she had felt for most of her life.

Her thoughts were suddenly shattered by an excruciating crashing sound and the van was hurtled over to the side. It happened so quickly and before she knew it she was lying on her side, a dark ringing sound attacking her eardrums. The rattling of the doors in front of her soon rid her of the ringing and she struggled her way closer to the doors, her hands still bound by the biting metal handcuffs.

A light blinded her and she felt a pair of strong hands heaving her out of the van. “Come on,” he growled and dragged her up and out of the van. And then they were running and she dived into the passenger seat of some beat up old car from the eighties. He shoved a dark wig in her direction and she flailed around, trying to position it on her head which was almost impossible in her current position.

“You did it,” she said but it sounded more like a question, being free was still a surreal sensation to her.

Killian looked over at her, a wig of his own shoved messily on to his head. “I told ya” he said smugly before staring at the road again. It had all gone according to plan so far but this was only the beginning. He knew that things were about to become much harder, it would only be a matter of minutes until the crash would be reported and when they find out that Zelena was missing, that would be when the real fight would start.

* * *

Regina would never admit it but her biggest guilty pleasure was listening to 80’s music. So there she was, dusting various heirlooms on her mantelpiece while listening to Radio Two’s 80’s hour. Emma had just left for work and she had wanted to do something to keep herself occupied until she returned later in the afternoon.

She smiled as the joyous beats of Wham filled her with a reminiscence of her youth. That sense of nostalgia which she often got upon hearing familiar music caused her to smile; sometimes she missed her childhood despite how imperfect it had been.

She left the living room to get a glass of water once the song had finished, stopping to admire the view outside of her kitchen window. London really was beautiful in the summer and she often took for granted how lucky she was to live in such a nice house in one of the best areas of the capital.

She returned to the living room and took a sip of the cold water relishing the chill as it cooled her down on such a warm day. The gentle baseline of ‘Every Breath You Take’ was suddenly interrupted by the hoarse voice of the radio presenter issuing an amber alert.

She looked over at the radio wondering what it was that could be so important to interrupt the airing of the show. “ _An escaped prisoner believed to be Zelena Mills has escaped…_ ” Regina froze, all her senses seemed to stop working and all that she could focus on was the fear which had set deeply inside of her.

The glass slipped through her fingers and smashed, sending shattered glass shooting all over the floor. Her eyes filled with tears and she was struggling to breathe as if someone was strangling her. Her phone was vibrating violently on the table but she couldn’t move let alone answer it. This was it, this was her worst fear realized.

She staggered over to the couch, tears falling involuntarily down her cheeks. She all but collapsed on to the leather seat, a million questions swirling through her mind. She closed her eyes and rubbed them vigorously, begging to wake up from this nightmare but this time it wasn’t all in her head; this time it was real.

* * *

Emma had just arrived at the office and as always, she had been greeted by a pile of papers sitting at her desk. The office had been practically empty and she had made sure to keep an eye out for Killian, who, thankfully, was yet to make an appearance. She looked over the letters that were sitting on her desk, each one looking more boring than the last.

“Emma? Emma? You need to get here right now!” Dorothy Gale, who worked in the call center, shouted and was frantically waving at her from the doorway.

Emma’s head whipped around immediately, “what is it?” She asked and was jogging over to the door already. She knew that it had to be something serious for Dorothy to act in such a manner.

Dorothy held the door open for Emma and started to run in the direction of the call room as soon as Emma had left the office. “It’s Zelena…”

Emma felt her heart drop knowing that whatever it was could not be good. She sprinted behind Dorothy and in mere seconds they were in the crowded call control office. There was a group of people all circled around one telephone and they parted as soon as they saw Emma enter the room.

“We just got this call from a bystander, listen.” Dorothy pressed play on the recorded message:

“There’s been a crash. You have to help! It’s a van, it’s tipped right over. The driver, I don’t think he’s breathing. You have to help him. Please!” The panicked voice rang out, each word causing a chill through Emma’s spine because she knew exactly what van it was that had been crashed into.

“Where’s Zelena?” She spoke so quickly that it seemed to blend into one word yet Dorothy understood her perfectly.

“M.I.A. First responders took the driver to hospital but there’s no sight of Zelena at all.” Dorothy looked at Emma, worried that the detective was going to do something crazy.

“Fuck!” Emma yelled and tears of anger, fear and annoyance filled her eyes. “I need to get to Regina.” She said and didn’t wait for a response before she was racing out of the room and down the corridor.

Dorothy followed, “I’ll call Ruby and get her and Dave to meet you at the house.”

“Thanks,” Emma called back but was unsure if Dorothy heard because she was already out of the front doors when she had replied.

She grabbed her keys and struggled to get the car door to open due to the shakiness of her hands. She put the key in the ignition and drove out of the carpark. She took her phone out of her pocket and called Regina. She hoped she wasn’t too late.

The journey to Regina’s house seemed much longer than it had ever done before and she was losing her mind more and more each time that Regina had not picked up her phone. She sped around the corner of their street and slammed her brakes on once she was outside the house. “Regina?” She cried as soon as she stepped out of the car.

“Regina?” She yelled again once she was at the door, her mind focused on Regina and Regina only. She again fumbled with the locks, cursing her keys for not corresponding with the locks.

When she had got inside she ran through to the living room and let out a suppressed cry of relief when she saw Regina on the couch. “Gina,” she rushed over to her and cradled her in her arms. She was weeping, a crumbling mess curled tightly in a ball.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Emma soothed and wanted to believe that it really would be okay but she had a feeling that Zelena had something truly sinister planned.

Regina said nothing but had stopped crying and was instead staring into space, her hands gripped on to Emma so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. She didn’t want to move, she feared that she wouldn’t be capable of doing so even if she tried. She wanted to stay in Emma’s arms forever; she wanted to turn back time, she wanted to know that Zelena could never hurt her again but she knew that none of those things were possible.

“Regina? Emma?” David came bustling through the open door with his weapon drawn. Ruby was close behind him and both of them let out an audible sigh of relief when they saw both Emma and Regina together on the couch.

“Uh, guys we need to get you to some place safe,” Ruby said and put away her weapon while David checked each room of the house just in case Zelena had snuck in at some point.

Ruby hovered by the couch, uncertain as to whether to help Regina stand up or not. “There’s a car outside for us,” she tried again at getting them to move, the urgency in her voice seeming to fall on deaf ears.

Emma was the first to look up, her eyes were red and she looked completely drained. Ruby had not seen her like that before and it had caught her a little off guard. Emma nodded at her and untangled herself from Regina who was still void of any movement.

Once Emma had stood up she wrapped her arm into one of Regina’s and gestured for Ruby to take the other one. Ruby did as she was told and linked her arm into Regina’s. Together they helped her up and Regina was standing and once she was up she was hit with the daunting reality which she was now facing. “Where are we going?” She asked and her wide eyes darted from Emma to Ruby and back to Emma again.

“Just to the station, for now, you’ll be safe there,” Ruby said softly and they were shortly joined by David who had given them the all clear. They walked outside in silence, all four sets of eyes rapidly searching in all directions for any sign of Zelena.

David jumped into the front of the car and Emma and Ruby were sitting either side of Regina in the back. The realization of Zelena’s escape had started to settle in and Emma was frantically thinking of the places she could be. “We need to get units to the park, the whole park; every meter needs to be covered. Every underground and rail station needs to be checked. Airports need to be on the lookout. Her picture needs to be everywhere...” She listed frantically and Regina remained silent next to her still trying to process everything that was happening.

David looked into his rearview mirror and caught Emma’s eye, “the team back at the station have already contacted National Rail and all four nearby airports.”

Emma nodded, satisfied that her team was doing everything that they could be doing. “What about the park?”

Ruby took her worried eyes away from Regina for a moment to look at Emma. “Uniform is sweeping it as we speak. We’re going full out Em, we’ll get her. Her stories already on every news channel, she’s trending on twitter and her picture is being shown wherever possible.”

“Seems as if she’s finally getting the attention which she yearned for,” Regina said sadly and the defeated look on her face caused Emma’s heart to break a little bit.

She gripped her hand tightly, feeling completely hopeless as she sat in the back of the police car while Zelena was God knows where, plotting God knows what. “We’ll find her, Gina. We’ll find her.”

* * *

A number of hours had passed since she had escaped from that stuffy van. She was now tucked up on an ancient, beat up couch, hidden in the darkness out of view from just about everybody. Killian had found it; apparently, it had been a casino at some point. That had been many years ago, and all that was left of it today was a number of empty rooms covered in weeds and debris. He had found some old furniture and had tried to decorate it for her. She was touched by the sentiment but she would have preferred it if he had spent more time trying to disguise the outside rather than the inside.

It was a short drive south of central London, it wasn’t ideal but it wasn’t as if she could hide in Regina’s bushes like she used to. She knew that the police would be doing everything that they could to find her and she knew that she would have to act soon because she couldn’t hide out forever.

She had spent the last few hours thinking about her plan. Killian was out destroying the vehicles and getting some supplies for her. She smiled to herself as she pictured Regina in her mind, how she wished that she could see her at that moment. Her imagination would have to suffice for the time being but it wouldn’t be too long until she would get to see her once again.

“Just me, love,” Killian called out and there was a clank and a creak as he forced the old door to open up.

Zelena looked over at him and her smile grew as she saw the two bags of food that he was carrying. One of them was baring the golden arch of the McDonalds sign. “Food!” She grinned and snatched the fast food from Killian and delved into it as if she hadn’t eaten in months.

Killian watched her and laughed as she grabbed a handful of fries and greedily shoved them into her mouth. “We’re gonna have some fun hiding out here together, ain’t we?”

Zelena froze in the middle of chewing her food and swallowed noisily. “No. You need to leave and stay away from here. Do you understand?”

“What?” Killian frowned and his shoulders slouched in disappointment, he was quite looking forward to playing the fugitive.

“You need to act as if nothing has happened. You can’t arouse any suspicion, got it? You need to carry on as normal and then report back to me after you have found out what is happening.” Zelena explained to him and left her food to walk over to where he was standing. “Now go, I will see you tomorrow.” She pushed him into the direction of the door, knowing that if she wasn’t forceful with him then he would never leave.

Killian reluctantly headed to the door, “if you say so.” He sighed and opened the door once again, “I’ll find out what’s happening at work tomorrow.” He exited the building as quietly as he could and made his way back to his van. At least being back at work meant that he got to see some more of Emma; he had missed her, it had been over twenty-four hours since he had seen her last. 

Zelena swiftly made her way back to the food and sunk her teeth hungrily into a cheeseburger. She smiled as she tasted the meat, the pungent taste satisfying her more than she had expected it too. She hadn’t eaten fast food in quite some time and she took another bite before she had even finished the previous one. A dribble of ketchup trickled out of the side of her mouth and down her chin, the red condiment staining her skin. She swallowed her mouthful and watched as the gloopy red ketchup hit the floor. She grinned at it, amused with how it had decorated the dirt-ridden floor. She laughed and took another bite of her burger, this time she intentionally let the ketchup fall out of it. She laughed again, louder this time. She took another bite and then she was laughing so manically that she almost choked. This was it; it was finally her time to be free.


	6. No Tears Left To Cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, hope you like this one! Let me know what you think :)

Thursday 27th July.

Emma was sitting on the couch in one of the vacant family rooms at the station. Regina was lying beside her with her head settled softly on Emma’s lap, her hair being played with soothingly as she drifted in and out of a disjointed sleep. They had spent the night at the station, not feeling comfortable to return home just yet and not wanting to reside in any temporary safe house.

Emma had demanded that she be active in the case to find Zelena and Regina had not wanted to be away from her for any more than a couple of minutes. Gold had, somehow, agreed to let Regina stay at the station with Emma however, there was no way that he would allow her to assist her in her day to day work.

“Are you awake?” Regina whispered and turned her head slightly so that she could see Emma. She was exhausted but attempting to sleep when her mind kept playing tricks on her had proved to be even more exhausting.

Emma cleared her throat before replying, “yeah.” She untangled her fingers from Regina’s hair and allowed her to sit up. “I’ve been thinking about where she could be.”

Regina stretched out her arms and rolled her neck a couple of times before settling in beside Emma once again and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. “Have you come up with anything?”

“Not really,” she sighed. She had spent hours trying to come up with places that Zelena could be hiding. She had made a note to check at homeless shelters and local halfway houses but she doubted that Zelena would be there.  She didn’t know much about her but she knew that she would’ve had a plan in place, Zelena wasn’t sloppy, and she knew that only too well.

Regina smiled sadly, grateful for Emma’s attempts. “Did you manage to get any sleep?”

Emma shook her head, when she was as restless as she currently was, it was impossible for her to sleep. “I’m trying to get inside her head.”  
  
“That doesn’t sound very desirable.”  Regina grimaced and looped her fingers into Emma’s, wanting to feel as close to her as she possibly could.

“It’s not, trust me. But it helps,” she squeezed Regina’s hand. She could tell that Regina was trying to be as strong as she possibly could. “So, she likes to inject herself into the investigation. Like, last time, she made sure that she knew everything that was going on every step of the way. She’s not afraid to take risks, I mean, she showed up herself at your house with flowers. And I still didn’t click that it was her. ” Emma thought aloud as she often did when she was onto something.

Regina rested her head on Emma’s shoulder, “Emma, you weren’t to know it was her.” She knew that Emma still felt guilty about how things had played out last time and she hated that part of her still blamed herself for what had happened.

“I know, it just still pisses me off.” Emma’s face hardened and her eyes pierced into the wall in front of them.

Regina remained silent for a couple of moments and for a split second she felt content in just listening to the rhythm of Emma’s breathing. Emma hummed out loud, her thoughts making themselves vocal and Regina raised her head once again. “So do you think that she’s watching us now?”

Emma remained to stare at the wall, specifically on a small chip of white paint which had been scratched off. “No, it’s too risky this time around. She’d be a fool to be anywhere in the open.”

Regina frowned as she tried to think where Zelena could be hiding. The park would have been her first guess but of course, that was far too obvious and the police had already looked there multiple times. “She can’t have just vanished.”

“She’s got to be nearby; you’re like a drug to her. She wouldn’t go through all that trouble to escape and then just forget all about you.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’ll get the team to sweep your neighborhood. Every shed, every basement, every vehicle. Anywhere that she could be hiding.”

Regina nodded, not saying a word. The image of Zelena camping out in her neighbor’s house was something that she couldn’t bear to think about. A slither of light coming in through the gap in the curtains caught her eye and pulled her out of her horrifying imagination. “We should find some breakfast. Your cafeteria is open all day isn’t it?”

Emma nodded, “yeah. I could do with some breakfast actually.” She stood up slowly and stretched, spending the night on a hard couch had not done her body much good.

Regina stood up and waited until Emma had finished stretching before she grabbed her hand once again. She felt like a little kid again, unable to complete the most menial of tasks without accompaniment.

* * *

Killian was a little wary about turning up to work that morning. He was convinced that someone would suspect him but so far nobody had even paid him any attention. It was as if he was invisible and for once, that wasn’t a bad thing. He had never seen the police station so frantic, officers were running in and out, the phones were constantly ringing and Emma and her team were wired so high that they were practically jittery.

He had been trying his best to listen into their current team meeting but it was proving to be difficult seeing as Emma was using a particular low tone of voice which he was struggling to hear from the position that he was in. He slowly started to edge closer to the corner of the room where the group of detectives were situated, hoping that they were all too involved in what Emma was telling them to bother paying him any attention.

Regina was sat at Emma’s desk, listening intently to what Emma was saying and looking more and more apprehensive with every word that she said. Killian wiped a damp cloth over the surface of an accompanying desk and made sure to keep his head down as he listened to what it was that Emma was explaining to her team.

“We have eyes at every station, airport, docks, you name it. Zelena will not be able to leave the country any time soon without being spotted.” She gestured with her right arm to the map that had been pinned onto the whiteboard which displayed all of the transport locations with red pins. “We need to focus more on the crash itself. We know it must’ve been planned; it’s too unlikely that it could’ve been an accident, especially as the car involved has since vanished.”

“Was there any other witnesses?”

“No one has come forward yet. Ruby and Dave, I want you to go door to door asking questions to everyone who lives on the road that the crash took place in. Find out anything that you can. I’m gonna go back to the scene of the crime and see exactly how it happened.”

“Got it, Serge.” David jumped up from his seat before he had even finished speaking and Ruby had done the same a split second afterward.

Killian shuffled over to the other side of the room as David and Ruby left the office. He couldn’t help but feel nervous about what he had just heard. It only took one person to have seen him for his whole plan to go into turmoil. He took a soothing breath and looked out of the window to calm his thoughts. He had destroyed the cars, he had covered his tracks but he couldn’t disguise his guilt, he only hoped that nobody would pick up on his changed attitude.

Emma was perched on the side of her desk while Regina was sitting in her chair. “Are you sure you’ll be okay here?” She asked her, not wanting to leave her on her own but knowing it was useless to even try to persuade Gold to allow Regina to accompany her on the job.

Regina nodded and tried her best to smile but it didn’t quite follow through. “I’ll be fine; it’ll give me a chance to get to know some of your work colleagues.”

“I won’t be too long, promise.” Emma leaned forward and pecked Regina on the lips before hopping off of her desk. “Mary Margaret said you can help her at the front desk.”

Regina looped her arm into Emma’s as they walked toward reception and it wasn’t long before they were being greeted by Mary Margaret’s infectious smile. Regina returned the greeting, hoping that Emma really wasn’t going to be gone for too long.

* * *

Since her escape, Zelena had spent more time asleep than anything else. For the first time in a long time, she had been able to sleep in peace without being woken up by fellow patients screaming or by nurses talking loudly outside of her door. She had awoken with a smile, she was relaxed and refreshed and she knew that Killian would be due soon to give her an update on all things Regina.

She languidly walked over to the bag of clothes that Killian had got for her. She pulled out the item on the top and scrutinized it; a leather jacket. Not just any old leather jacket though, it was a red one and it looked suspiciously like the one that Emma was so fond of.

Zelena glared at the jacket and tossed it on to the floor beside her before rummaging through the remaining contents of the bag. She found something, even more, displeasing buried at the very bottom; a blonde wig.

“Asshole,” she whispered through gritted teeth. She had feared that this may happen but she had sincerely hoped that it wouldn’t. Killian was the kind of person who grew attached to somebody very quickly. He had done the same when he had first met her and she had enjoyed the attention that he had given her. She had used Killian’s addiction to her in her favor but it seemed that perhaps she wasn’t the only person that Killian was taken by. If she needed her plan to succeed she would have to come up with a solution to that ever present problem known as Emma Swan.

“Mornin’” Killian called out as he struggled to close the door behind him.

Zelena had jumped at the sound of his voice and her fright had only deepened her anger towards him. “Killian, I thought we agreed that you don’t sneak up on me?”

“Yeah, sorry. I forgot.” He shrugged and went to sit down on the couch once he had won the fight with the door.

Zelena took a biting breath before going to sit beside him. “What happened?” She asked, her need for details triumphing over her anger.

“At work?” He asked and was met with an exasperated eye roll from the redhead. “They’ve blocked all areas of public transport from you; Emma’s looking into the crash.”

“Oh, is Emma?” She asked, the irritation clear in her voice at the casual mention of the new object of Killian’s desire. “What about Regina?”

Killian frowned slightly, unsure as to why Zelena was being so short with him. “She’s glued to Emma’s side. She was quiet.”

“And what about Emma?” Zelena emphasized her name, being sure to draw out every syllable. Once again, she found herself being unable to hide her jealousy.  

“She seemed stressed, determined to find ya though. She was…”

Zelena huffed and cut Killian off mid-sentence, “I don’t care about Emma but it seems that you do. Maybe a bit too much.”

“What do you mean? You asked me to keep an eye on her.”

“I asked you to get rid of her and she seems to be more in the way now than she was before.” Her voice had risen so much that she was shouting and she had stood up and had averted her eyes from Killian.

He held his hands up in response, attempting to play down his feelings towards Emma, “I’ll make sure she don’t ruin whatever your plans are for Regina.”

“Yes, you will… You are going to kill Emma Swan!”

Killian stood up at that and shook his head defiantly. “What? No, I can’t do that.”

“You have a gun don’t you?” She asked and was annoyed that Killian had not simply agreed with what she had said. She was completely certain that Killian had grown far too attached to Emma.

“Yeah but…”

“It’s easy, you just aim and fire and that will be the end of her.”

Killian sighed, trying to think of a way to change Zelena’s mind. “That seems pretty risky, she’s a cop.”

Zelena smiled and turned around to face Killian. “You do love me, don’t you Killian?”

“Yeah, but...”

“Then shoot her.” She said simply and headed out of the room before Killian had a chance to answer.

* * *

Regina had spent the morning and most of the afternoon accompanying Mary Margaret at the front desk of the police station. She had discovered that Mary Margaret wasn’t as bad as she had first thought and had actually started to enjoy her time spent with her. She had heard many tales about Emma, many of which turned out to be quite humorous, it had certainly kept her mind off of reality and she couldn’t be more thankful for that.

She had just received a text from Emma apologizing for taking so long and telling her that she was on her way back to the station. When she looked up from her phone she was met with a face that she had not seen for quite some time; Killian Jones.

“Hi, Regina.” He said and quickly squiggled his signature into the signing-in book which Mary Margaret had slid across the counter to him. He kept his head down for longer than was needed and avoided making eye contact with her. “I’m sorry about what’s happened.”

Regina was silent for a moment, not knowing how best to acknowledge him. “Nice seeing you again, Killian.” She sent him a half smile before he dismissed himself quickly and practically jogged down the corridor and out of her view.

Mary Margaret watched as he left and then turned to Regina, “he’s weird, isn’t he?”

Regina nodded and for some reason, she couldn’t help but wonder why it was that Killian had not been able to meet her eye and had left in such a hurry. “He certainly is,” she pondered.

It hadn’t taken long for Emma to return to the station and she had smiled widely upon seeing Regina, safe and sound. She had made little progress in finding out the details of the crash however she had gained a few assumptions which she planned on pursuing. She had suggested that she and Regina get some food and the stations canteen seemed to be the nearest option despite the food often being questionable.

“How was your day with MM?” She asked Regina as she tucked into her generous portion of Spaghetti Bolognese.

Regina shrugged and smirked as Emma messily sucked up a long strand of spaghetti. “Surprisingly it was quite entertaining. She told me a lot about you.”

Emma swallowed and her eyes widened considerably; “oh no, I know whatever she told you can’t be good.”

Regina laughed and carefully wound a fork around her own portion of spaghetti. “It wasn’t so bad.”

Emma watched Regina, wondering what was really going on inside her head. “Have you thought about what you want to do? Do you want to go back home?”

“Only if you’re with me,” Regina stated simply, she would prefer to return home but as long as she was with Emma she wouldn’t mind where it was that they ended up staying.

Emma smiled, knowing that she would never willingly leave Regina. “Of course, we’re in this together.”

“Then yes, we should go back home. I could really use a shower and a comfy bed.”

“Me too. I’ll get uniform to patrol like last time, there’s no way anyone will be getting in.” She nodded as she mentally made a note to call Gold and arrange the police protection. “How are you feeling?” She asked, her voice softening.

“Better, part of me feels like it’s a waste of time crying over something that’s out of my control. I spent too much time doing that last year.” Regina smiled softly, she had no idea how long it would be before Emma caught Zelena and there was no way that she was going to spend her life living in fear again.

“You’re one of the bravest people I know, you know that?” Emma reached her hand over the table and found Regina’s. Regina never seemed to stop inspiring her.

Killian had just finished his evening shift; he often found the shift to be pointless seeing as he would have to return in the morning anyway. He made his way to the canteen to get a hot drink and some candy and hesitated as he saw Emma and Regina sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the room. He walked over to the vending machine and kept his eye on Emma the entire time. She was deep in conversation, her hands were clasped lovingly around Regina’s and she looked at her in the way that he wished that she would look at him.

He grunted to himself and stabbed a few buttons on the machine until a chocolate bar was released. He then sat down on one of the tables at the side of the room which gave him the perfect view of the blonde sergeant. There was no way that he could kill her, he would sooner kill Zelena than Emma. He thought about handing himself in, telling Emma exactly where Zelena was, he could be the hero. He would have Emma’s full attention and maybe even gain some respect but if he did that she would find out that he had been the one that had helped Zelena escape and he knew that Emma would never forgive him for that.

He let his imagination wander off for a moment before David and Ruby entered the canteen and made a beeline towards Emma’s table. He frowned, wondering if they had come up with anything that could cause him some trouble. He was out of hearing distance but no one had made any sudden movements and Emma seemed to be talking to them in conversation rather than giving them any commands.

A couple of minutes later, Ruby had sat down beside Regina and David had made his way to the queue for hot food. “Oh, I forgot to ask you about Mary Margaret’s party tomorrow. We totally understand if you can’t make it.” He called from the queue and Killian had frozen upon hearing about a party.

Emma looked at Regina but Regina had turned to face David. “We’ll be there,” she confirmed and was met with a thumbs up from David.

Emma leaned forward to Regina, “we don’t have to go if you don’t feel up to it.”

Regina shook her head, “I want to go. It’ll be fun and what could be safer than a room full of detectives?”

Emma laughed and nodded, “you have a point.”

“Of course she does, I think it’s a great idea,” Ruby added with an excited grin.

Killian stood up and exited the canteen, a smile developing on his face as a plan started to formulate in his head. A party would be the perfect distraction that he needed. He wouldn’t be telling Zelena about this, instead, he would be taking charge. This plan would be his and only his, and if it all worked out correctly, Emma Swan would be his too.


	7. In For The Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things take another turn for the worse in this chapter, that being said, I do hope you enjoy it!

Friday 28th July.

Regina wasn’t sure what time she had woken up but she knew that it must have been early because it was still dark outside. She had tried to return to sleep but unfortunately, sleep would not come to her. She turned over once again, attempting to catch even a few minutes of shut-eye when she heard Emma grunt beside her. She turned back on the side which she had just changed from so that she was facing Emma. “Did I wake you?”

Emma grunted once more before resting her head on her elbow. “Nah, I was having an awful sleep.” She stretched her hand over to find Regina’s and linked her fingers through hers. “Are you thinking about her?” She asked which was a stupid question really because how could she be thinking of anything else?

Regina nodded, “I don’t know how this could have happened.”

Emma bit her bottom lip, her mind screaming at her to tell Regina what she should have told her days ago. She stayed quiet for a moment, her thumb gently tracing the back of Regina’s hand. “Regina, I need to tell you something.” Her words came out quieter than normal and each syllable was laid with the deep guilt that she felt for not being honest right away.

The tone that Emma had used filled her with dread and she was worried about what it was that she was going to reveal to her. “What is it?”

“You remember when I went to see Zelena the other day?” Regina nodded and Emma took a deep breath before revealing the truth that had been playing on her mind ever since Zelena’s escape. “She said something to me but I just thought she was being Zelena and trying to piss me off. I should’ve taken what she had said more seriously.”

“What did she say?” Regina asked, knowing that whatever it was that she had told Emma was sure to be something regarding her.

Emma looked away, not wanting to meet Regina’s eyes. “She said that she’d see you soon. It was a threat and I didn’t take it seriously and I should have and…”

“Emma.” Regina squeezed her hand and waited until Emma had made eye contact with her before she started to speak again. “You weren’t to know that she was going to escape. This isn’t your fault.”

Emma shook her head and once again looked away from Regina, “I should’ve known that she’d pull something like this.”

Regina hated that Emma was blaming herself, and she hated Zelena even more for making Emma feel that way. She let go of Emma’s hand and cupped her cheek softly, “listen to me, there was nothing that you could’ve done.”

Emma managed a small smile, “still, I shoulda told you at the time but I didn’t want her to get inside our heads. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Regina leaned forward and captured Emma’s lips with her own, brushing them softly. She understood why Emma hadn’t told her and she doubted it would have made any difference even if she had, either way, Zelena would still have escaped.

* * *

Before Killian had left the station the previous day he had made sure to pay his manager a visit. He had requested some time off of work, stating that a family emergency had arisen. Zelena would not be pleased when she found out that he was going to be off of work and therefore could not hear what was going on with the investigation but, ever since she had asked him to kill Emma, he had cared significantly less about what she thought. In fact, he was already beginning to get annoyed with her demands and bossiness. It seemed that the more that he distanced himself from Zelena, the more attached he got to Emma.

Mary Margaret’s party was that evening and he had already started to implement his plan but first of all, he had to run some errands and errand number one was making sure that his good-hearted accomplice was out of the picture. He had asked Michael to meet with him at his favorite pub and he could already see Michael sitting in one of the booths near the back, looking far too nervous to not arouse any suspicion.

Killian bought two beers from the bar and made his way to the booth. “All right, mate?” He asked and sat down opposite him, luckily the pub was reasonably empty; the lunchtime rush shouldn’t be appearing until at least two hours’ time.

“What’s happened? Do they know it was us? Why did you want to meet me?” Michael sputtered, his hands sweaty as he stared at the beer in front of him.

Killian took a long sip of his drink and shook his head. If Michael was this nervous talking to him then he would never hold up in a police interrogation. “They don’t know anything yet.” He glanced over his shoulder; just to be sure that nobody was around to overhear him. “You look like shit; you ain’t told no one, have you?”

Michael shook his head, “not a soul.”

“Good, look the police are digging. You should get out of here for a while until it all blows over.” Killian took another sip of his drink, acting far more casually than he should be given the situation.

“Where would I go?”

He shrugged; he didn’t actually care where it was that Michael went as long as he wasn’t around to drop him in it. “I dunno, take your family on holiday or something.”

Michael started biting his thumbnail as he thought about the dwindling amount of money that was left in his bank account. “I can’t afford that.”

Killian took a long gulp of his beer, his patience quickly beginning to run out. “Well if you don’t wanna end up in jail then you’re gonna have to afford it.”

“How?” Michael asked, hoping that Killian could provide him with a magical solution.

“How should I know? It ain’t my problem. Don’t you have any savings?”

“I spose I can come up with something.”

“Good man and you best make it quick. The cops are already asking around.” Killian watched as fear set into Michael’s eyes, he had scared him enough to make him act but not enough for him to crumble.

Michael remained silent and stood up from the table. He practically ran out of the pub, he didn’t need to be told again. He would find that money and he would book him and his family on the cheapest flight he could find. There was no way that he was going to let Killian Jones ruin his life.

* * *

Zelena had been pacing back and forth for about a half hour, wondering why it was that Killian had not visited her yet. She was annoyed that he had left her in the lurch, especially when she was in such a vulnerable position. Anything could have happened and she would not have known.

She had her suspicions that his sudden disappearance had something to do with Emma and she was hoping that he would have taken her advice and killed her off. She stopped in her tracks, her hands finding her hips; what if he wasn’t going to kill Emma? He had seemed apprehensive about the act and she was beginning to lose the little trust that she had in him.

He had done so much for her but maybe that was it? She needed him though, however much she hated that fact. He knew far too much, he could ruin everything for her so easily. She would have to convince him some more, she would have to keep him on her side until it was time and then she would dispose of him.

She wondered where the police were in their investigation, Killian’s past information had not provided her with much insight. She had an idea though; a red herring which she knew would keep them occupied for quite some time. It was a risk but it was one that she was willing to take and so she made her way over to the bag of belongings that Killian had left for her.

She rooted through the bag, sneering distastefully upon seeing that blonde wig and grinning when she found the old Nokia burner phone. Her plan was to call the police as a worried member of the public who had spotted somebody who strongly resembled Zelena Mills. They had spotted Zelena at the port, looking to leave the country no doubt.

She knew that the police would take the sighting seriously, and they would be searching the coast high and low, wasting their time and resources looking for her internationally. It was too good of an opportunity to pass on.

She smiled as she typed in ‘999’…

* * *

The day had been less productive than Emma had hoped, however, it had picked up towards the end with a possible sighting of Zelena being reported. The call had been anonymous and had lacked vital details but it had been enough to make sure that all coastal security services were on strict lookout for her. She was confident that if Zelena had been considering leaving the country then she certainly would have a difficult time doing so now.

Regina had accompanied Emma to the station once again, spending the majority of her time at the front desk with Mary Margaret. She was enjoying listening to her stories and she was even tempted to apply for a position at the front desk because she was pretty certain that she already knew the job inside out.

Mary Margaret’s birthday party was being held in a large hall just outside of White City. It was busier than both Emma and Regina had expected and it seemed that almost everybody who worked at the station had been in attendance. Emma had ordered two drinks at the bar, a beer for herself and a glass of red wine for Regina. She was still worried about attending the party but her stress had reduced significantly once she had arrived and seen a flood of familiar faces.

“Emma?!” Mary Margaret screamed over the thumping music and bustled her way through the crowd towards Emma.

“Hey!” Emma yelled back, making sure that her drinks were safely positioned on the bar when Mary Margaret swept her into a tight embrace.

“Where’s Regina?” She asked, her voice a little lower as she was so close to Emma’s ear.

Emma pointed towards Regina who was standing beside Ruby and Dorothy who were both bobbing along aimlessly to the music. “I should go rescue her,” she laughed and took hold of her drinks.

Mary Margaret had bounded over to Regina and wrapped her arms around her before Emma had even left the bar. She had a sneaky feeling that the birthday girl was already slightly drunk.

David had joined them and had saved Regina from Mary Margaret and the six of them were all standing in a circle, each of them trying to communicate with each other but all seeming to fail thanks to the loud music. Emma took a sip of her beer and wrapped her arm around Regina’s waist. This was her family.

As the night got on the music had become slower and couples had drawn to the floor to start dancing with each other. Emma had no idea if Regina was much of a dancer but she knew that it was a skill that she was seriously lacking in.

Mary Margaret and David had been dancing together for the last three songs and Ruby and Dorothy had just left them to take to the floor themselves. Regina watched with a smile as Ruby and Dorothy had excused themselves from their conversation and had glided onto the dance floor. “I didn’t know that they were together,” Regina said to Emma as her eyes remained glued to the dancefloor.

Emma nodded and placed her half-empty bottle of beer on the table behind them. “Yeah, I totally called it before it happened.”

“You did?” Regina asked a little skeptically.

Emma laughed and shook her head, “no, I was as surprised as you!” Her eyes followed Regina’s to the dancefloor and she waited until she had discarded her wine glass on to the nearby table before linking her hand into hers. “Do you want to dance?”

Regina’s smile grew bigger and she nodded, leading the way onto the dancefloor with Emma following behind her. The song that was playing was a particularly slow song and Regina could sense that Emma was feeling a little uncomfortable so she pulled her in closer as soon as they had found their spot on the dancefloor. She looped her arms loosely around Emma’s neck and leaned her forehead against hers stealing a kiss as she did so.

Emma’s nerves had been shot as soon as she felt Regina’s body against hers. She smiled as she kept her head impossibly close to her and followed Regina’s lead. Dancing proved to be less difficult than she had first thought and by the time the song had reached its chorus she had found her rhythm and was swaying in time with Regina.

Killian had waited until the party was well underway before he had made his move. He had found out where the party was being held earlier that day by texting a work colleague and pretending that he had lost his invitation. Once he had the address he knew that the opportunity would be too big to miss out on and so he had called an old contact who had provided him with just what he had asked for. It had cost him a small fortune for the drug that he had attained but he knew that it would be worth every single penny.

He had slipped into the hall practically unseen and had been watching them from the side of the room, the lights hadn’t quite reached the corner of the room and so he had remained hidden in the shadows. The song had just changed to a popular one that nearly everybody in the hall seemed to recognize and that had given him the opportunity which he had been waiting for.

Slowly he inched his way over to the table where Emma’s drink was sitting, he reached into his pocket, his eyes remaining on the crowd of smiling faces in front of him. He opened the small bag that contained the powder and steered it quickly into the bottle of discarded beer.  Once he had completed the action he lurked back to his spot in the darkness and waited.

A few songs had passed before Emma was all danced out, she and Regina walked back to where they had previously been standing and were soon re-joined by Mary Margaret and David. Emma took hold of her drink and took a couple of long gulps, “who knew dancing was more tiring than chasing after bad guys?” She laughed and slammed her empty bottle down on to the table a little more forcibly than she had intended to.

The conversation began to flow once again and Ruby had returned at some point with a round of shots which had seemed like a good idea at the time until Mary Margaret had practically passed out on top of David. David had then issued a ‘water only’ policy for Mary Margaret who had been reluctant at first but had soon followed the rules.

Emma had been unusually quiet and had turned particularly pale. She kept zoning in and out of the conversation and she had been holding on tightly to Regina as her vision kept getting blurry. She had barely drunk anything that night and she was confused as to why her body was failing her. She assumed it was due to stress and sleepless nights and so she didn’t take the warning signs too seriously and instead followed Mary Margaret’s lead and stuck to drinking water.

“Are you okay, Emma?” Regina asked, a little concerned about how out of character Emma was both looking and acting.

Emma nodded, not wanting to cut their night short; she knew how badly Regina needed a distraction. “I’m fine, promise.” She forced a smile and kissed Regina’s cheek.

She wasn’t fine though. Her vision had become so blurry that she could barely see, the flashing lights from the dance floor being the only things that provided her with any illumination. She had worked up a sweat despite not being the slightest bit warm just minutes ago. She felt sick and dizzy and she knew that she was going to throw up at any minute.

“I’m just going to the bathroom, babe. I’ll be right back.” She forced another smile and let go of Regina, feeling faint and hopeless as soon as the contact was broken.

Regina looked worried, not sure what was going on with Emma but not liking it one bit. “I’ll come with you.”

Emma shook her head; the last thing she wanted was for Regina to see her being sick, “I’m fine, I swear.” She smiled again and quickly stumbled through the crowd into the direction of the facilities before Regina could say another word.

Ruby made her way to Regina and they both watched as Emma disappeared into the bathroom, “is she all right?” Ruby asked, noticing the visible look of worry on Regina’s face.

“I don’t know,” Regina responded, “shall we go after her?”

“Let’s give her a minute, hey?” Ruby rested her palm on Regina’s forearm, knowing that Emma would want privacy if she wasn’t feeling well.

Emma fell through the bathroom door and toppled into an empty cubicle, grabbing the toilet seat as she was violently sick into it. Tears streamed down her face with the force of her vomiting and her body was shaky and limp.

Killian had been watching the whole encounter and as soon as Ruby and Regina had looked away from their beloved Emma he had followed her into the bathroom. He kept his back against the door so that nobody could come in and he waited until Emma was silent in her cubicle before he made any move.

He saw a chair at the side of the bathroom and pulled it across the floor, positioning it in front of the door and creating a blockage. He heard a defeated groan coming from Emma’s cubicle and he smiled to himself knowing that everything had worked perfectly for him thus far.

He walked around to where she was sitting on the floor and swung open the cubicle door. “Swan,” he drawled and Emma looked up at him with a tear-stained face, a look of confusion framing her features as she tried to figure out what was going on.

“Killian?” She sputtered, her vision was still patchy but she recognized that voice instantly. “What are you doing?” She stammered and before she could say another word he had shoved a dirty cloth into her mouth, preventing her from making another sound.

She struggled as much as she could as he roughly heaved her off of the ground. She could barely stand and her feet were flailing in all directions no matter how hard she tried to force them down. She shook her head; doing anything she could to be free of Killian’s heavy grasp.

“There’s no use struggling, Swan. You’re mine now.” He whispered into her ear and dragged her into the direction of the bathroom window. It wasn’t very big but it was big enough to squeeze through which was all that really mattered.

Emma could feel the vomit inside her build up once again but she had to force it back down. She could feel a cool breeze in front of her but she couldn’t understand where it was coming from. Her eyes were getting heavy and she battled so hard to keep them open but at some point, she had lost the fight and darkness had proceeded to take over.


	8. Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this update is a little later than usual, enjoy!

Regina had spent the past five minutes sipping on her wine and only half listening to the conversation happening around her. Her eyes kept wandering in the direction of the bathroom and all that she could think about was what was taking Emma so long. A sufficient amount of time had passed and so she put down her empty glass and excused herself from the group.  “I’m going to check on Emma,” she said to Ruby who nodded in response.

She swept across the room trying to act as naturally as she could despite her growing worry. Once she got to the bathroom, she reached out and pushed the door, increasing her force when the door refused to budge. She tried again, feeling like she must have been going mad because why in the world would the door to the bathroom be locked for?

Her panic grew with each moment that she couldn’t get in and she leaned her shoulder against the door but it still wouldn’t move. “Emma?” She called and knocked on the door but there was no response.  She pushed her shoulder against the door again, harder this time. “Emma?”

Ruby had been watching Regina from across the room and had seen her struggling with the door. She had excused herself and had made her way to see what was going on. “You okay, Regina?” She asked once she had reached the bathroom door.

Regina looked over at Ruby, completely exasperated. “It won’t open!” She yelled, a combination of anger and worry causing her to react so brashly.

“Let me try,” Ruby rolled her shoulders before taking a short run up and slamming the side of her body into the door. It shifted an inch and a small glimpse of light shone through the gap in the door. Ruby clutched her shoulder before repeating the action again and creating a larger gap for them.

“Emma?” Regina called and squeezed into the bathroom once the space was big enough to get through. Ruby turned her back and saw David frowning at her; she waved him over, knowing that something wasn’t quite right.

Regina raced through the small room, looking in each and every cubicle but finding nothing. “Where is she?” She said aloud and threw her hands up in the air, at a loss of what do.

“Are you sure she wasn’t going anywhere else?” David asked as he joined them and pushed the chair that was blocking the remainder of the door aside.

Regina shook her head while Ruby mimicked her previous actions of looking inside each bathroom stall. “No, she wouldn’t have left without telling me, especially not now.”

“You’re right, she wouldn’t have left you. No way.” Ruby agreed and watched as Regina fumbled around in her bag before pulling out her phone.

“I’m going to call her,” she turned her back to the detectives and prayed for Emma to pick up.

“Ruby, the window,” David whispered and noticed that the window was wide open, much wider than was necessary.

Ruby could feel her heartbeat increase; she knew these signs only too well. “You think someone took her?”

David nodded; it was the only logical explanation that he could think of. “That would explain why the door was blocked.”

“We should get Gold; I’ll get Dorothy to look after Regina. She doesn’t need to be hearing all this.”

“Shit this is bad. It’s gotta be Zelena.” David balled his fist; it was too much of a coincidence for Emma to go missing at the very same time that Zelena had escaped from prison.

Ruby nodded, she too agreed that it must have been Zelena. “Why would she take Emma?”

“To see Regina go through hell.”

Ruby scoffed, that would be the perfect motive. “If she’s hurt Emma I swear I’m gonna kill her.”

David rested his hand on Ruby’s shoulder, “Emma’s tough, we gotta remember that.”

Ruby nodded, Emma was tough but was she tough enough to get out of her situation?

* * *

Emma groaned, her mouth was so dry that it felt as if she had swallowed sandpaper. Her head was pounding and it was proving to be a difficult task to even get her eyes to open. She slowly lifted her eyelids and was temporarily blinded by the bright light from the bulb which hung above her head.

She had no idea where she was and the room itself failed to provide her with any such clues either. She looked behind her and noticed that one of her hands had been cuffed to the metal frame of an old bed frame with some handcuffs which looked suspiciously like her own. How ironic, she thought and would have laughed had she not been so utterly confused, terrified and desperate to wrap her head around what had happened.

The walls were a faded white, with cobwebs decorating each corner, in the middle of the room stood a closed wooden door and part of her didn’t even want to know what was on the other side of it. She closed her eyes again, partly to concentrate and partly to rest them from the light of the room.

Regina. Her eyes shot open at the thought of her, where was she? What had happened to her? She took a deep breath, she needed to remember. She could remember the party and dancing and drinking. She could remember feeling sick and going to the bathroom but she couldn’t quite piece together what had happened next.

She closed her eyes tighter, trying to focus on the last point that she could remember. She had taken part in therapy before and she knew that the best way to remember was to focus on the past. She remembered being sick and the way that the cold floor caused her legs to chill. She remembered her vision blurring and her head feeling as if she were on a carousel. She remembered a voice, a man’s voice, Killian’s voice.

Her eyes opened again as realization set in, Killian had kidnapped her and brought her to this prison. She struggled to release her right arm from the handcuff but was met with a biting cut each time that she pulled against the restraint. “Killian?” She tried to call out but her throat was still so dry that only a croak could come out.

She glared at the door in front of her willing for him to enter; she would fight him if he did. She was determined that he would not defeat her; no matter how restrained she happened to be.

* * *

Regina had not gotten through to Emma, she had tried to call her ten times and each time the call ended up going to voicemail. She had been sitting with Belle for the past five minutes, she had watched as the party was cleared out and had kept a close eye on each participant who had left praying that one of them was the one person who she was missing the most.

Gold had cornered off the bathroom and it was now officially a crime scene, David and Ruby had been making calls and Gold had been shouting commands to everyone around him. She had watched as the forensics team had arrived and had headed straight to the crime scene. She remembered the last time that she had seen them, Emma had looked after her then and she wished more than anything that she was with her at that current moment.

Dorothy had driven Mary Margaret home and Belle had volunteered to keep an eye on Regina. She didn’t want to be chaperoned but she was too tired to even argue her point. Belle was talking to her, trying to tell her that Emma was one of the best cops in the station and that she knew how to get out of many dangerous situations. She knew that Belle’s words were meant to calm her but instead they just made her imagine what that situation was that Emma was currently experiencing. She was sure that her sister had something to do with this if only she knew where she was.

“Robert said you can stay at the station again tonight if you like. Well, he practically demanded you stay there. He doesn’t want you to be alone and nor does anyone else.” Belle wrapped her arm around Regina’s shoulder as she spoke. She didn’t know Regina well but she knew that she had a past with Gold and so she automatically counted her as a friend.

Regina nodded, still not fully taking in what Belle was saying. She wasn’t used to feeling alone, not anymore. She kept expecting Emma to walk around the corner and ask what all the fuss was about. “This is all my fault,” she whispered and Belle stopped talking, straining to hear Regina’s words. “Zelena took her. She took her to hurt me.”

Belle shook her head and looked towards the detectives for some advice on how best to handle her situation but they were all busy so she was on her own. “Regina, you don’t know that. We don’t even know that it was Zelena yet.”

“Of course it’s her, it’s always her,” Regina said solemnly and she knew that Zelena would never be happy until she had completely destroyed her.

Belle gripped Regina’s shoulder tightly, “you have to stay strong, for Emma.” She gave her a small smile, sometimes hope was the only thing that could get someone through the struggle.

Regina nodded and tried her best to remain hopeful although that was currently the thing she was feeling the least. “Emma would want me to be strong,” she whispered and turned to face Belle with a slight remnant of a smile on her face.

A loud clanging sound startled the both of them and they turned in the direction of the bathroom, “shall we go and pick some things up from your house?” Belle suggested, “I’ll make sure Robert calls you with anything that he finds.”

Regina nodded; if she never saw that bathroom again it would still be too soon.

* * *

“Are you thick? Are you an actual moron?” Zelena yelled and was pacing back and forth so quickly that it was surprising that she hadn’t drawn short of breath.

Killian had expected her to react in that way and so he wasn’t overly surprised by her outburst. “Well, you didn’t expect me to sit around and do your dirty work the whole time did ya? Emma’s my bit of fun.” He argued back, now that he had Emma he wasn’t so keen on keeping Zelena around.

Zelena stopped abruptly and walked closer to him, he was still sporting that smug grin and it was beginning to drive her even madder than she already was. “You were supposed to kill her not bring her here.”

Killian dared to deepen his grin, purposely enraging the beast known as Zelena. “I ain’t gonna kill her.”

Zelena burned her eyes into him, he had completely betrayed her and now her wellbeing was in jeopardy. “Did you even think this through? They’re going to find out you took her and then when they find her they’re going to find me!”

“They ain’t gonna find her,” Killian said simply and leaned forward, determined to push Zelena to breaking point just to prove that he could.

Zelena pulled away from him and made her way to the other side of the room. “You need to get her out of here!”

“No, she stays. You can leave if you want but Emma stays.” He said defiantly, sick of Zelena bossing him around.

“What?” She took a long breath and tried to figure out why it was that Killian had deceived her in such a way, especially after everything that he had risked for her.  “You know I can’t leave.”

“I thought you’d be happy.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because now everyone will be looking for her and not you,” Killian’s voice had softened, a small part of him feeling a little guilty for bringing Emma to Zelena’s hideout without discussing it with her first. His guilt was soon depleted as he saw the anger once again rise within Zelena.

“That doesn’t help if we’re both in the same place, you idiot!” She growled and knew that she would have to think of something quickly because with Emma missing the cops would be wasting no time in trying to find her. She knew Killian wasn’t as meticulous as her and she knew that he would have left something behind. It would only be a matter of time before this place was swamped with cops and she was adamant that she would not be there when that happened.

Killian always grew suspicious every time that Zelena was quiet and she had paused for quite some time now. “Are you getting jealous, Z?” He asked, daring her once again. He really did want to know what her feelings were for him though despite never asking her outright.

Zelena let out a dry laugh and shook her head. “Nothing you do could make me jealous. You were only ever my meal ticket out of that place, now go and play with your little tramp and leave me be.” She waved her hand dismissively and turned her back to him, she would need to destroy him.

* * *

The team had regrouped at the police station. Gold stood in front of the group of detectives, an estimated timeline of events pinned up onto the whiteboard behind him. David and Ruby were sitting at the front staring intensely at the board in front of them. David was still in his suit and Ruby was still in her dress and both of them looked exhausted and dazed by the whole situation. Gold had instructed Belle to stay with Regina in the canteen until their meeting was over, he promised he would keep Regina up to date but he couldn’t afford to give her any false hope.

Gold cleared his throat and caught every pair of eyes in the room. “So far we’ve determined that Emma must have left through the window with some considerable force.” David scoffed at that and Ruby had to look away, her eyes starting to brim with tears.

Gold looked at the two of them, he had already considered taking them off of the case due to how close they were to Emma but he had figured that that decision would cause a lot of trouble and wasted time. “This was confirmed by the forensics team who found a single hair that belongs to Emma. Her phone was also found on the ground outside of the window. We need to find out who it was that has taken her and why. Emma went to the bathroom telling Regina that she was feeling sick. We were all at that party; Emma was believed to have had no more than two drinks. This means that it’s extremely likely that her drink was spiked.”

“Zelena was there?” Ruby asked out loud and her mind frantically thought back to earlier that night.

Gold looked at her and shook his head; he was worried that his detectives would become blind sighted. “We can’t automatically believe that it’s Zelena. Which leads to my next point which is the security cameras; the hall itself does not have security but the carpark does. Today’s videos seem to be missing though meaning that whoever did this had planned it.”

“Of course she planned it.” David said to Ruby but it came out so loudly that the entire room had heard.

“Like I said previously we can’t automatically believe that it’s Zelena however she is our number one suspect.”

David nodded, pleased that Zelena was being looked into. “She has a motive and we know she’s not afraid of Emma.”

“But would she really risk showing up there and taking Emma, she’s not stupid.” Ruby thought and remembered just how many times Zelena had tricked them during the previous year.

“She must have a partner or something. There’s no way that she’s not involved, it would be too big of a coincidence.” David theorized and Ruby nodded in agreement.

“Okay, there’s not much we can do at the moment so go home, try and get some rest, tomorrow we will be hitting the ground running. I need all of your heads in this. We will be getting Emma back, mark my words.” Gold concluded and made sure to deliver his words to his two most worried DS’. He had to find her; if he didn’t then he knew his whole team would fall apart not to mention what it would do to Regina. Failure was not an option on this case and he knew that he would not be able to rest until Emma had been found.

* * *

Emma had woken from the sound of loud voices. Her head was still pounding and she would sell her soul just for a sip of water but she was alive and that was all that mattered. She strained her ears to try and hear who the second voice belonged to. She jumped at the sudden loud exclamation that came from the woman and she recognized her voice right away, Zelena.

Of course, she would have something to do with this. But how did she know Killian? And why were they working together? She rubbed her forehead with her free hand; this was getting more confusing by the minute.

She tried again to listen to what was going on outside but all she seemed to hear this time was silence. She was confused as to why neither of them had come to check on her. Usually, Zelena would be the first person to taunt her especially when she had the upper hand. And Killian, he had gone through all that effort and for what? To just leave her there? It all made little sense to her and the more she thought about it the more her head seemed to hurt.

She continued to think about how they had met but she could feel that wave of drowsiness starting to hit her again. Whatever it was that was in her system was still no closer to leaving. She felt her eyes grow heavy and once again sleep pulled her under. She would have to wait for those answers.


	9. Infatuation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments so far guys, I'm so happy that you're enjoying this story!

Saturday 29th July. 

She could sense his presence before she had even opened her eyes. His breathing was heavy yet steady and she could feel the warmth radiating off of him and being passed on to her. She opened her eyes and he was in front of her, sitting on the end of the mattress. He was staring at her, not saying anything, not even blinking.

“Killian, let me go.” She said as calmly as she could, treating this as if it were another hostage situation which she had worked on, however, this time she was the hostage.

Killian smiled at her, a small smile in which the edges of his lips turned up ever so slightly. “Why would I do that for when it took me so long to catch you?”

Emma cleared her throat which was still impossibly dry, she wanted to fight him but the energy and fire which she had in her before had somehow faded. She was tired despite having slept and part of her realized that if Killian and Zelena were with her then Regina would be safe. “Why are you doing this for? Did Zelena put you up to this? Because if she did then this isn’t your fault.”

Killian laughed, Emma could not be any more wrong. “Z didn’t put me up to this; all she cares about is Regina. I shoulda known that all along,” he looked away, his thoughts trailing back to the time that he had first met Zelena.

Realisation started to hit Emma, Killian had always been after her. That was why he had acted so weirdly around her every time that they had interacted; he was an entirely different threat than Zelena was. They may be hiding out together but it seemed that they worked separately. “What’s Zelena gonna do? Where is she?” She asked, her panic and fear for Regina’s safety beginning to rise once again.

Killian shrugged as if he hadn’t a care in the world when it came to Zelena. “Think she’s asleep. She ain’t gonna be leaving here anytime soon. Cops are looking for her, you know that though, don’t cha?”

Emma forced her achy body to sit up straight on the mattress and she studied her cuffed hand trying to think of a way to get out of it. “What is she going to do to Regina?”

“No idea, she don’t tell me nothing anymore.” Killian replied and a sadness could be seen in his eyes but it was soon replaced with a curiosity as he watched Emma carefully. “Not trying to escape from me, are ya Swan?”

Emma looked at him, not knowing how best to approach the situation. He seemed calm for now but she didn’t know how long he would remain that way. “I’m just a little uncomfy. Can I have some water?”

Killian considered her request and nodded before leaving the room. Emma let out a sigh of relief when he had left and she turned to examine her old handcuffs which were now proving to be her least favorite thing in the world. She tugged at them and tried to loosen the screws with her fingernails but she knew it was no use. These things were supposed to keep people locked up.

Killian returned not two minutes later brandishing a glass of water in one hand and his father’s famous shotgun in the other. He noticed Emma’s eyes widen upon seeing it and he placed it on the floor just out of her reach. “Just in case you get any ideas,” he explained and handed her the glass of water.

She sipped at the water, wanting to savor it for as long as she could because she didn’t know when it would be that she’d get some more. The gun scared her, guns always did. “You won’t need to use that.” She said and tried to keep as much eye contact with him as she could because she knew there was no way that she could win against Killian and a gun. “Why did you bring me here for?”

Killian placed his foot on top of the gun, resting it there gently and noticing that Emma’s eyes had still not left the weapon. “I wanted us to have some privacy. You never gave me any time at the station.”

Emma swallowed, trying to dissect Killian’s personality as fast as she could so that she knew how to act around him. “I’m often very busy at work; I didn’t know that you wanted to talk to me so urgently.” She dragged her eyes from the gun and met Killian’s, taking another sip of water.

“I always wanted to talk to you, ever since I first laid eyes on you.”

Emma lost her patience and greedily gulped down the last of the water in her glass. “When was that?”

Killian counted mentally and a smile formed when he realized just how long it had been. “A couple of months,” he answered, not wanting to be too detailed in what he told her.

Killian’s response had confused Emma; he had only worked at the station for a number of days. She felt goosebumps erupt on her arms at her next thought, “you were watching me? Like Zelena used to watch Regina?”

He nodded unashamedly, “yep and you never saw me once.” He tapped his foot gently on the gun beneath it reminding Emma that it was there and that he wasn’t afraid to use it.

Emma’s eyes settled on the gun and she wondered how Killian had got hold of it but the last thing that she wanted to do was draw even more attention to it. “What would you have done if I’d have seen you?”

He shrugged, “well that never happened did it? You were too busy with Regina.” He snarled, Regina had sure made a habit of getting between his love interests.

Emma‘s mind wandered to Regina and she hated to think what it was that she was going through. “Zelena, I need to talk to Zelena!” She said a little frantically, her own safety now shifting to the very back of her mind.

Killian glared at her and shook his head in disbelief. “Why do you wanna talk to her for?”

Emma had noticed Killian’s initial reaction but had chosen to ignore it, “I need to know what she’s planning.”

He scoffed, “like she’s gonna tell you.”

“Killian, please!” Emma begged and pulled on her restraint in an effort to get her frustrations across.

Killian snarled at her, losing interest in entertaining her now that the conversation had swayed to someone other than himself. “I’m gonna get some rest, don’t miss me too much.” He stood up and retrieved the gun from the floor, not giving Emma another look as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door angrily behind him.

“What? Where are you going? Killian?” Emma called but received no response. She was left alone once again, her thoughts still resting on Regina and the forthcoming danger which was now even more of a threat than it had been before.

* * *

Regina had not spent the night at the station as she had originally thought. Instead, she had stayed in Ruby’s spare room within her cozy flat which was located just around the corner from where Emma had previously lived. She had tried her hardest to get as much sleep as she could but it seemed that every time that she closed her eyes she would imagine Emma in some harrowing situation.

“You couldn’t sleep either, huh?” Ruby asked as she made her way into the kitchen and found Regina sitting at the table nursing a mug of cold coffee. She had pretty much insisted that Regina stay with her, she knew that Emma wouldn’t have wanted Regina to be sleeping alone at the station, and she too would prefer to have had company given the circumstances.

Regina sent a small smile Ruby’s way and watched as she made herself a coffee. “I can’t seem to get my thoughts to shut down.”

Ruby poured her coffee once it was ready, she knew Regina must be going through hell and she also knew that it wasn’t the first time that Regina had been in such a dark place. “We have about a half hour until we need to be at the station.” She carried her cup of coffee over to the table where Regina was sitting and sat down opposite her.“So, this is your time to ask me, Emma’s best friend, anything that you want to know about her. The more embarrassing, the better.”

Regina raised an inquisitive eyebrow which was followed by a smile; it certainly would be good for her to escape her situation if only for a short amount of time. “There’s an offer I can’t turn down.” She thought for a moment, there were still so many things that she didn’t know about Emma. “Tell me what she was like before I got to know her. Was she happy?” She asked and couldn’t help but feel a little sad due to how much impact she had had on Emma’s life.

Ruby could tell that Regina was holding herself responsible for what had happened to Emma and that question had all but proven that she was correct. She tapped her fingernails gently on her mug before catching Regina’s eye. “I promise you that she is much happier now that you’re in her life. She has more passion, she smiles for no reason, she has a bounce in her step. Dave’s noticed it too but of course, she never admits it when we call her out about it.” She chuckled as she thought back to the times that she and David would tease Emma about Regina.

Regina could picture Ruby and David teasing Emma; it seemed that office banter between the three of them was a common occurrence. “You have a great friendship,” she smiled but her sadness still remained.

“She really loves you, you know. In a way, I think she always did even before you guys were official.” Ruby took a cautious sip of her coffee and was thankful when she didn’t burn her tongue.

“Really?”

Ruby nodded, “yeah, she never stopped speaking about you, even after your first meeting. She was like a school kid talking non-stop about her new crush.”

Regina couldn’t help but smile at that, “we’re going to find her, aren’t we?”

Ruby clasped Regina’s hand into her own, “we’re going to find her.” She said confidently, “we have to.”

* * *

Zelena had kept to herself for the majority of the morning and had only acknowledged Killian when he had asked her what she had wanted from the shops. She had requested as much junk food as possible and a significantly large amount of alcohol which she knew would come in handy at a later date.

She stared at the door in front of her, part of her had wanted to ignore Emma but she knew that she would end up taunting her sooner or later. She flung the door open with the full intention of startling Emma who looked small and broken as she lay on the dingy mattress on the floor. “Well, if it isn’t Emma Swan!” She triumphed and was now wondering why she had taken so long to greet Killian’s captive because just the sight of the usually confident detective looking completely helpless made her happier than she had felt in quite some time.

Emma jumped to attention, her eyes bolting open as soon as she heard the familiar screech of Zelena’s voice. “Zelena, what are you planning?” She spat out, her words falling out of her mouth faster than she could even anticipate.

Zelena laughed as she walked a little closer to Emma and perched herself on the very edge of the bed. “Fireworks, lots of them.”

“I don’t want to…” She paused and tugged angrily at the handcuffs which caused a smirk from Zelena, “I don’t want to play your games. Tell me!”

“I just did. There’s going to be so many fireworks and they're going to explode when Regina least expects them to.” She kept her eyes fixed on Emma, intending to cause as much anguish for her as she possibly could. “And all the while, you will be here with no one but Killian to keep you company.”

Emma clenched her fists, trying to swallow down all of the anger which she had inside of her. “You won’t get to Regina. She may not have me but she’ll still be protected. You don’t scare me, Zelena.”

“Aw, poor, naïve Emma. You have such little faith in my abilities. You really think that anyone cares enough to stop me getting to Regina?” She tilted her head to the side and a creepy smile was etched on her face. “She only ever had you and now, well, now it seems that she has no one.”

Emma shook her head, “she has my team, she’s one of us now and they will protect her with their life. And when they find me she’ll have me too and I’m going to make sure you go to jail this time.”

“Your team, as you call them, won’t be able to protect her. I can do anything that I put my mind to; I did escape from that hospital after all.” She chuckled smugly and could see the frustration building once again on Emma’s face.

“How did you pull that off?” Emma asked, she was still curious about the details and she knew that Zelena would brag about her accomplishments whenever she could.

Zelena bit down on her bottom lip while she considered just how many details that she wanted Emma to be aware of. She figured that whatever she told her would do no harm seeing as she was currently tied up and useless. “Killian has been working for me for quite some time, longer than you can imagine.”

“Since before your arrest?”

“Yes, he was actually the one who hacked your phone the first time around. He grew attached to me right away, who could blame him? He followed you and Regina while I was locked up, kept me up to date with everything that was going on in Regina’s life. He started working at the police station so he knew exactly how little you knew in regards to my escape.”

“How did you escape? Who was the other driver?”

“You don’t need to know that, all you need to know is that it was a success for me and it was a fail for you and Regina.” She said excitedly and reveled in Emma’s pained expression. However, it still was not enough, she wanted to hurt Emma and she knew exactly how to do that. “What was the last thing Regina said to you? You should cherish that, Emma. Because one or both of you will be dead in a short amount of time and you certainly won’t be seeing her again.”

Emma glared at her and practically hissed her response, “Fuck off, Zelena. You’re not gonna win this time.” She tried to block out Zelena’s words but they had hit her hard because she couldn’t remember the last thing that Regina had said to her and she knew that Zelena knew that.

Zelena was aware that Emma was bluffing because her eyes were dark and solemn. “I already have, look at the position you’re in.”

“You’ll never get to Regina; no chance!”

Zelena waited for Emma to meet her eye before she started to speak to her again. “Do you miss her, Emma? Do you miss the way she says your name and the way her hair smells? Do you miss the way she smiles at you when you say something juvenile? Do you miss the sound of her laugh and that little scar on the top of her lip?”

“Shut up, shut up!” Emma yelled and covered her ears with her hands as best she could. She knew Zelena was purposely trying to upset her and she hated that it was working. She missed Regina, she missed all of those things and she couldn’t bear to lose her.

Zelena grinned, pleased that her efforts of tormenting Emma had been successful. “I might be brave and pay her a visit tomorrow; all the cops will be out looking for you after all.”

Emma shook her head wildly, “she won’t be left alone, and they’ll see you. They’re going to find you.”

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” She smiled once again and raised herself from the mattress. She knew Emma would be stewing in ‘what if’s’ for quite some time and she planned on driving her crazy in despair and desperation. If she was being prevented from getting her toy then why would Killian be able to have his?

* * *

Naturally, Regina had insisted in accompanying Ruby to the station and she was currently helping come up with ideas about where Zelena could be. She had already exhausted every place that she could think of and she feared that she was becoming more of a hindrance than a help.

“So we’ve already checked with Zelena’s foster mother and she has confirmed that she has not heard anything from Zelena. We’ve got a team scoping the nearby area just in case.” David confirmed and paced back and forth in front of the map of London which hung on the whiteboard behind him.

“We need to look into who this partner could be? Regina, can you think of anybody?” Ruby asked and looked desperately toward Regina, praying that she could give her some useful information.

Regina tried to remember any names that Zelena had mentioned in the past but she couldn’t recall any. “I wish I could think of someone,” she sighed and continued wracking her brain for any clues that Zelena may have possibly let slip in any of the past communications that she had shared with her.

“Her partner must’ve aided her with her escape as well; there was no way she could’ve pulled that off single-handedly. So maybe someone at the hospital may know something?” Ruby considered and she saw the light in David’s eyes spark as soon as she had finished speaking.

“We should ask around there, every patient, every member of staff, check the visitor log. There has to be something!” David tallied off his remarks on each finger as the wheels in his head started to turn rapidly.

Regina perked up upon hearing this sudden lead and she stood up to join Ruby and David who had already made their way to the door. “I’m sorry, Regina. I’m gonna have to leave you with Mary Margaret on this one,” David apologised, he hated leaving Regina out of things but he had no other option.

Regina nodded; she already knew that she was pushing boundaries by even attending the office with the detectives. She sighed as she watched Ruby and David race out of the station doors, she could only hope that their questioning proved to be successful.


	10. Evil Isn't Born

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, just a heads up that there are slight mentions of abuse and non- consensual activity in this chapter.

Zelena had soon grown bored of tormenting Emma and had left her for quite some time to dwell in her own anger. She still believed that Emma’s presence would interfere with her future plans with Regina but she had yet to come up with a solution as to how she could get rid of her as it seemed that Killian was unlikely to do it.

She had been about to take a nap when she had heard the constant cries coming from Emma. She had glared in her direction and she knew that Emma would more than likely be in the same state for the rest of the evening had she not have done anything. And so she got her some water which was laced generously with the leftover drug that Killian had used to kidnap her with. She had been so desperate for some water that she hadn’t even suspected that it was contaminated.

She closed the door softly behind her as she left Emma to pass out and was met immediately by an angry Killian.

“What were you doing in there?” He asked and dropped the shopping bags on the floor. His eyes were panic ridden and urgent and he hastily made his way toward Zelena.

Zelena simply smiled at him. “I gave sleeping beauty some water. She should be out for quite some time now, you can thank me later.”

“What?” He asked and pushed his way past her to get to the room which Emma was in. “You drugged her again?”

Zelena shrugged, “what’s the big deal?”

Killian swung open the door and found Emma soundly asleep on the mattress with an empty glass on the floor beside her. “I wanted to talk to her!” He shouted at Zelena before rushing into the room and taking his seat on the edge of the mattress.

“You are such a sap!” Zelena replied but Killian was ignoring her and was instead whispering something to Emma which she couldn’t quite make out. She raised an eyebrow and leaned on the doorframe watching as Killian held onto Emma’s hand.

“You’ll be alright, love.” He said to her and rubbed his thumb tenderly over the back of Emma’s hand. He shuffled as close as he could toward her, wishing that she were awake because there was a lot that he wanted to talk to her about.

He had spent an excessive amount of time away from their camp. He had gone for a long drive to collect his thoughts and think about what his true intentions were with Emma. He wanted to talk to her, really talk to her. He had seen how she had listened to victims of crime in the past, she had been so understanding and he wanted that. He wanted her.

Zelena couldn’t take her eyes off of him; he had a look on his face which she had never seen before. He was whispering something to her and she leaned in closer in their direction to hear what it was that he was saying to her.

“I’m sorry that she did this to ya, I never told her to. I’ll make it up to you, I swear.” He stammered, his voice still panic ridden. Part of him feared that Zelena had given her too much but her breathing proved that she was going to be fine. “I wanted to bring you here, I was gonna show you around the whole place tonight until she done this. I used to come here all the time when I was a kid…”

Zelena had lost any attention which she had had in the conversation as soon as Killian began to reminisce. He had tried to talk about his childhood with her a while ago and she had shot him down immediately, she wasn’t a therapist and she certainly didn’t care about the hard times of Killian Jones.

The amount of affection that he was giving to Emma was alarming her; she knew that if she did not act very soon then he would likely ruin things for her. She burned her eyes into his back, her brain working in overdrive as she tried to think of the perfect plan. A small smile lifted her lips when she thought of an idea that just might work. She would have to wait until Emma was awake and she would have to implement it extremely quickly but if it was successful then it would perhaps be the greatest plan that she had ever hatched.

* * *

Regina had waited as patiently as she could in hope that David and Ruby would return to the station with Emma walking in alongside them as right as rain. In fact, she had thought up a million variations in her head and in all of them Emma was fine and everything had been a simple misunderstanding. She knew that life wasn’t that kind to her though and so she continued waiting, listening to Mary Margaret discuss in depth whether it was the right time for her and David to be starting a family or not.

They had been gone for about an hour before they returned and Regina couldn’t help but feel disappointed when she saw that Emma wasn’t accompanying them. “What did you find?” She asked as soon as they reached the front desk.

 “We got a name,” David waved around a piece of paper with a single name written on it. He handed it to Regina who collected it only too quickly.

She frowned when she read the unfamiliar name “Jean Illkoins?” She continued to stare at the messy writing, trying to recall hearing such a name but unfortunately coming up blank. “I don’t know who that is.” She whispered sadly and handed the piece of paper back to David.

“It’s okay; we’ll run the name through the system and see what comes up.” David stuffed the paper into the pocket of his jacket and motioned for Ruby and Regina to follow him through to the office.

“Do they work at the hospital?” Regina asked once they had reached the more private office.

Ruby shook her head, “no, it was some guy who had been visiting Zelena.”

“Yeah, but that’s all they got. No address or anything, what kind of facility are they running?” David tutted, the hospital staff hadn’t been overly helpful. They had initially begrudged showing the visitor log to them until he had threatened them with legal action.

Regina frowned and perched on the edge of David’s desk, “do you think he’s the one? Zelena’s partner?”

David and Ruby shared a wary look before David nodded. “We think he could be.”

There was a short pause before Ruby gathered a pile of folders from David’s desk, “right, I’m going to update Gold, Dave’s gonna do some digging on this Jean guy…”

“I’ll go and get a coffee in the canteen,” Regina added and stood up straight, she knew that she would again, have to make herself scarce while the detective’s got to work.

* * *

Killian had not left Emma’s side for the entire day. He no longer cared about what Zelena was doing, not after what she had done to Emma. Emma was his and she had no right to interfere with anything of his.

He had changed from his previous position and had moved to be closer to her. He was perched on the side of the mattress beside Emma’s arm, his hand resting on her shoulder and his eyes glued to her as he watched her sleeping.

“I have to tell you something,” he said quietly, hoping that Emma could hear him despite her being in a deep sleep. He needed to tell somebody though and Emma was the only person that he felt close enough to tell.

“I… I, uh, I never used to be like this.” He swallowed, still unsure whether he should be telling Emma what he was about to because he had never spoken of it to another soul. The faint rise and fall in her chest seemed to calm him though and it spurred him on to continue with the reminiscence of his past. “I wish you woulda known me in high school, you woulda liked me. Everyone liked me then. I was in all the sports teams, I was pretty smart, I always knew where the best parties were.”

He took another pause and turned his head towards the closed door behind him to make sure that Zelena wasn’t within earshot. Once satisfied that she wasn’t around, he continued. “But no one knew about what happened at home. My dad, he was a bad man. He used to beat my mother and sometimes he beat me too. He was an asshole, and one time he hit my mum so hard that she was in hospital for a whole week.”

He let his hand wander up from Emma’s shoulder and looped his fingers gently into her hair. “And that week it was just me and him at home. I was nineteen then, I spent most of the time out on my bike or hooking up with girls. He was jealous of me, I knew that.”

He loosened his grip and ran the back of his hand down the side of Emma’s jaw and cupped his hand on her chin with his thumb rolling over the top of her closed lips. “One night I got back real late, he had been drinkin’,  I could smell it on him and he was angry as hell. Soon as I walked through the door he flung a bottle at me, it missed me and that seemed to make him angrier. He kept yelling at me but he was so drunk I couldn’t make out what he was sayin’.”

He traced his thumb over Emma’s lips, the softness of them seeming to take him away from his memories for a moment. He snapped his hand away from her and took a deep breath before closing his eyes and taking himself back to that night when his whole life had changed. “I couldn’t make out what he was sayin’ but then he said my mother’s name and I snapped. It was like all that anger I had inside me just erupted. I stormed out of that room and straight to the bedroom, I knew exactly where he kept his gun, he always made a point of showing me. I never shot a gun before but I figured it was like in the films so I pointed it at him. My hand was shaking and I was crying and he just laughed at me. He said “you ain’t gonna fire that, son” and then laughed at me again. So ya know what I did? I fired that gun. And he fell to the floor, heavily and slowly.”

He took a long pause and watched Emma’s demeanor which hadn’t changed throughout the entire story. “I kept that gun in my pocket and went over to him. He was clutching onto his chest where the bullet went. He was sputtering somethin’ and I wanted him to shut up and die already but he didn’t. I leaned in closer to him, I wanted to watch the light leave his eyes. He choked a bit and then he said to me, he said “you’re finally a man, son.” And I swear he smiled then. Fucking twisted son of a bitch. I got out of that house then and I ain’t ever been back since. My mum moved back to Ireland when she found out my dad died, she never kept in contact with me and I didn’t care enough to see what she was doing. She was a coward anyway.”

He tentatively moved a piece of Emma’s hair out of her face and smiled to himself as she remained sleeping peacefully. “Yeah, I never went back there but I still see it every day. I still hear his voice and sometimes I drink rum like he used to, not because I miss him but because I want to prove to him that I’m more of a man than he ever was.”

He leaned forward and he could smell the vanilla scent of Emma’s shampoo, he inhaled it and smirked. “And now I have you. I knew you were perfect for me as soon as I saw ya. You always help people, and now you’ve helped me. And when you fall in love with me back we can move to the seaside and live there till we get old. I’d take care of ya real good, not like how my dad took care of me.”

Emma still made no movement and he took that to mean that she had accepted him and his confession. He leaned in even closer; he could feel her gentle breath against his skin. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss lasted longer than he had anticipated, her lips were frozen in place but he found the lack of awareness on Emma’s part to be upsetting. He pulled away from her and stroked her cheek softly, “I’ll let you rest for now, love.”

He stood up and quietly left the room. He didn’t know how long it would be until Emma woke up but he hoped that it wouldn’t be too long. He still had so many plans for her and she would need to be awake for all of them.

* * *

David had spent almost two hours trying to find details regarding Jean Illkoins but had ultimately found very little. In fact, not so much as a bank account had been found under his name, it was as if he didn’t exist.

After informing Gold of their latest update, Ruby had also been helping track down the mysterious Jean. “I can’t find anything. Fuck this guy,” Ruby growled and angrily clicked the button on the mouse to close her current tab on the computer.

“Do you think we should ask Regina? She knows how Zelena’s brain works more than we do, she’d know the type of person that she’d choose to work with.” David considered and knew that Gold would not like Regina being so involved but if it meant that they find Emma then he really did not care what it was that Gold would have to say.

“We got nothing to lose,” Ruby shrugged, “I’ll go get her.” She stretched out her back as she stood up and walked away in the direction of the canteen.

David pulled the whiteboard to the center of the room and wrote out the name ‘Jean Illkoins’ in big letters in the middle of the board and then drew a cloud around it. There had to be something about this guy somewhere…

“I’ve been trying to remember everything that Zelena has told me,” Regina countered as she entered the room; the many cups of coffee which she had gotten through had certainly worked their effects on her. “She used to work at a bar, she also had roommates, I’m not sure what their names were though.”

David nodded as Regina spoke and wrote up what Regina was saying on to the side of the whiteboard. “That’s great, anyone else you can think of that it could be?”

Regina stared at the name which was written in bold and a particular memory came back to her. “Wait, hold on. Zelena loves playing games. When we were younger she and I used to play this ridiculous game in which we’d introduce ourselves as somebody different each time that we met. Jean wouldn’t be this man’s real name.”

Ruby sighed as she realized that what Regina had said made perfect sense, “so we’re back to square one then?”

“Not necessarily…” Regina said and her eyes were still centered on the name.

David turned his head between the whiteboard and Regina, “what do you mean?”

“Jean Illkoins is a very unique name, don’t you think?” Regina considered and both David and Ruby nodded in agreement.  “It can’t just be a random creation.”

“Maybe it’s a middle name of someone?” David suggested.

“Or like Jean as in Jean Claude Van Damme and then I have no clue about the surname,” Ruby frowned as she too started to stare at the name which was in front of them.

“Hang on,” Regina thought for a moment before confirming to herself that her initial thought could very well be correct, “It’s an anagram.” She took a pen from the desk and walked over to the board, rearranging the letters into different variations.  A shiver went down her spine as she wrote out a familiar name. “Killian Jones.”

“Holy shit” Ruby gasped.

David slammed his pen onto the desk behind him, “I’m gonna kill him.”

Ruby placed a supportive hold on David’s shoulder, knowing that they both needed to focus completely on the job and not on their own emotions. “Dave, chill. We got this, I’ll grab Gold. We’re going to his place, Regina you’re coming with us this time.”


	11. Run For Your Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head's up for some violence during this chapter. Enjoy!

Sunday 30th July

It was early, far too early to be awake in Zelena’s opinion but she had been woken by the squealing Swan in the next room. Her annoyance for the abrupt wakeup call had been short-lived though as it meant that she could put her plan into action. She was standing outside Emma’s room waiting for Killian to show up because she knew that he would now that his captive was awake and demanding attention.

Killian appeared within mere moments and as soon as she saw him she made sure to yell his name as loud as she could so that she would not only grab his attention but Emma’s also. “Killian, good morning!”

“The hell you shoutin’ for?” Killian responded still half asleep and carried on over to the room where Emma was.

Zelena blocked the door, preventing him from entering. “We need to talk,” she declared, again loud enough for Emma to hear. There was silence behind the door which meant that Emma must be listening to her, as she had expected her to.

Killian sighed, he had spent all night waiting for Emma to wake up and now that she was he didn’t want to waste that precious time talking to Zelena. “What is it?”

Zelena leaned her back on the door just to make sure that Emma could hear. “We can’t carry on like this. It’s only a matter of time before the cops find us.”

“You’ve already said that a hundred times. They ain’t gonna find us, this place is practically off the grid.” Killian attempted to reach the doorknob but Zelena cut him off and placed her own hand on the handle.

“And how off the grid is it exactly? Is it listed as abandoned? Because if it is then it won’t be long until they start searching abandoned buildings near London. And how careful were you when you stole DI Swan, huh? And what will happen when you’re due back at work and they call you to see why you’re not back? You clearly didn’t think any of this through.”

Killian was silent; he hadn’t thought that far ahead and had practically forgotten that he was supposed to back working at the station in a few days time. “Nah they won’t find us.”

Zelena rolled her eyes, seeing through Killian’s dismissive attitude immediately. “Kidnap, holding a hostage against their will, helping a convict escape… That’s just a few of the things that you’ll be charged with. You’ll be in prison until you’re old and decrepit.”

Killian looked down at the ground, Zelena had a point and there was a long list of crimes that he had piled up against him. “What are you thinkin’?”

Zelena couldn’t hold in the small smile which appeared, Killian was always so easy for her to manipulate. “Spain. Our original getaway plan.”

Killian scoffed and shook his head, “you ain’t gonna be able to leave the country. Your face is everywhere.”

Zelena laughed, practically cackling as Killian stared back at her completely bewildered. “You’re a fool, Killian Jones. I have money hidden away somewhere far from you which I can use to bribe even the most law-abiding sailor.”

“That ain’t gonna work.”

“You can get a flight a few days after if you’re so concerned.” Zelena calmed herself down and was pleased to hear that the silence remained from behind the closed door.

Killian seemed to consider Zelena’s plan. He was currently not a person of interest and would be able to get the next flight to Spain without any hassle whatsoever. He frowned as he thought of the reason that was holding him back. “What about Emma? I ain’t leaving her.”

“Like I said before you’re going to have to kill her.” Zelena shrugged and had to swallow down her jealousy at the mention of his precious Emma.

He shook his head, “not happenin’.”

“If you leave her alive then she’ll tell the cops where you are and you’ll be spending your life in prison.”

“I’ll think of somethin’.”

Zelena rolled her eyes; she had predetermined that response from him so it really came as no surprise. “I’m leaving tonight so you best think of something fast.”

“Maybe we’ll just stay here.” Killian replied and his eyes were staring at the door, Zelena could be wrong. Maybe the police wouldn’t look into abandoned buildings, maybe she was making this all up so that he would kill Emma and he certainly wasn’t going to be fooling for her tricks. “You’re just sayin’ all this to get me to kill Emma. You’re too obsessed with getting revenge on Regina to leave the country for good.”

“Oh, I’ll get my revenge, don’t worry about that. Once you kill Emma, Regina will be distraught. She’ll be wallowing in her own misery for months, too busy focusing on her grief to even give me a second thought. And that’s when I’ll strike.”

“That’s a good plan but like I said, I ain’t killing her.”

“Fine, do what you want. Either way, I’m leaving this dump, so are you going to give me a proper goodbye or not?” She smiled then, trying to win Killian over one last time.

He quirked an eyebrow, Zelena’s sudden change in mood used to excite him but lately it only confused him and made him extremely suspicious of her. “What do you mean?”

Zelena grabbed Killian’s wrist and dragged him into the direction of the old couch which sat in the corner of the room. She took out one of the bottles of whiskey that Killian had brought for her previously. “We should make a toast.” She took out a bottle of rum and handed it to Killian knowing that rum was his spirit of choice. “To the future.”

Killian held the bottle of rum, he still didn’t trust her but he opened the bottle anyway and clinked it against her bottle of whiskey before taking a large gulp. He wasn’t usually a fan of day drinking but he wasn’t one to turn down alcohol. “I’m gonna miss your crazy ass, Z.”

Zelena smirked and watched as Killian took another sizeable gulp of alcohol. “You know where to find me if you decide life in this cell with Swan isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” She took a swig of her own drink but made sure to spit it back into the bottle. She needed to keep a sober head and she needed to make sure that Killian was the complete opposite.

* * *

Regina wanted to cry, she wanted to fall to her knees in despair and scream about all the injustices in this whole scenario but she couldn’t. Instead, she was sitting in the back of an SUV only half listening to David’s pep talk about how close they were to finding where Killian Jones was.

They had swept his house the day before and found very little. Ruby had said that it looked as if he hadn’t been living there for about a week and that sentence alone had caused her to panic. She didn’t see how that result had been a good thing; it seemed they were even farther behind in finding Emma than they had been before.

They had sent out the registration number of Killian’s van to the transport police who had spent hours sifting through days of security footage in hopes of finding his van. She had spent the morning anxiously waiting at the station so when the call was received saying that the cameras had picked up on something she had almost collapsed with relief.

“Regina, you should probably wait in the car,” Ruby stated once the car had been parked and they were waiting outside the small hub of the transport department.

Regina shook her head, she knew that she was asking a lot but she simply couldn’t wait outside alone while the answers could be just a few feet away from her in that building. “I have to come in.”

Ruby knew Regina would win her over before she had even finished her initial statement. She shrugged at David, “tell Gold that I tried.”

All three of them stepped out of the car and made their way into the building. David and Ruby flashed their ID’s to the men behind the desk and ushered Regina through with them explaining the situation as they did so.

The building wasn’t that large as a whole but the room which was filled with cameras was colossal. Regina looked around at all of the cameras, each one being manned by a different officer. A sturdy man came rushing toward them from behind a camera near the back of the room.

“Detectives? We spoke on the phone. I’m DS Graham Humbert, I’ve got some clips you might want to see.” He led the three of them to his desk which contained three different screens.

“Thanks for doing this all so quickly, Grah.” David patted the back of his old friend, Graham too, had attended the police academy at the same time as David and Emma had.

“Of course, Emma’s one of us. We’ve been sifting through footage all night. I’m just glad we found something useful for you guys.”

Graham pressed play on the first computer monitor which detailed a van resembling Killian’s swerving out of a residential road and coming to a sudden halt at a traffic light. Within mere seconds the van had sped off and the screen was filled with nothing but the empty backdrop of trees and a tarmac road. “We caught him here; he didn’t bother waiting for the light. I suspect he had Emma with him then, it was the night that she went missing.”

Regina held back a sob, trying to remain as calm and as strong as she could be. Ruby slipped her hand into Regina’s; she too was finding it hard to keep herself neutral in the situation. “Do you have any more footage?” She asked and kept her eyes pierced on the screen in front of her.

Graham nodded and started the video on the adjacent screen which detailed a grainy image of Killian’s van speeding down the motorway heading out of London. “This was taken on Friday night, going down the A12 heading to Essex.”

“So he’s not in London anymore?” David asked with an accompanying sigh, Essex was one of their neighboring counties but it meant that they would have to get an entirely different police force on the case which would cost them a lot of time which they did not have. 

“Do you have anything else? Anything which could narrow down the search?” Ruby asked, hoping that the third camera would give them all the answers that they were looking for.

Graham nodded and without further ado, started the third and final video. It showed the van entering the town of Southend, a popular seaside town with a reasonably vast population. “That’s all we got I’m afraid but my guess is that he would’ve stayed on the outskirts of Southend, lots of woodlands there, lots of fields and unused warehouses.”

Ruby nodded, she had been situated in Essex prior to being transferred to the Met. “I’m calling my old DI. She’ll get the area swept.”

“What about us?” Regina asked, she couldn’t just sit around waiting when they had been given a lead as big as this one.

“We’re going on a road trip.”

* * *

It had been a couple of hours since Killian had started to drink and Zelena had started to pretend to drink. Killian was lying on the couch, the bottle half empty on the floor beside him. He was rambling about something that Zelena wasn’t listening to in the slightest. He seemed to be in the right state for her to implement the next part of the plan.

“So Killy, I heard your Swan calling for you last night.” She walked over to where he was lying and sat on the arm of the couch beside him.

Killian perked up immediately and messily scrambled up into an upright position, “she did?”

Zelena nodded, “seems you might have finally won her over.”

“D’ya think?” He slurred and blinked to try and get her image a little clearer.

Zelena lowered her voice so that he would have to lean in closer to her to hear what she was saying. He did just that and she was pleased that she could smell the bitter aftertaste of alcohol which still lingered in his breath. “I do, if I were you I’d make the most of your time with her while you still can. Maybe uncuff her and have some fun?”

Killian grinned and swayed a little when Zelena pulled herself away from him. “I’d like that. You don’t think she’d escape?”

Zelena shook her head, “of course not, she’s under your spell now.”

“Yeah, she is.” Killian laughed and thought about the blonde in the other room waiting for him.

Zelena looked at the door that Emma was behind and Killian followed her gaze. “Go to her.” She demanded and stood up from her position.

Killian turned to Zelena and he stood up as carefully as he could in his given state. “You won’t be mad?” He slurred and gestured toward the door.

Zelena shook her head and placed each of her hands firmly on Killian’s shoulders “I promise I won’t be mad and I’ll be waiting for you in Spain.”

Killian pouted as he looked into Zelena’s eyes. “Do you hafta leave? You could stay too?”

Zelena adopted a serious tone, “goodbye Killian.” She kissed his forehead, knowing that this would more than likely be the last time that she would ever see him. “You did a good job.” She pulled away from him and gestured her head towards Emma’s room. He walked over to the room and grasped the key to the handcuffs which was sitting inside his pocket.

As soon as Killian had entered the room Zelena had made her move, she knew that she wouldn’t have long. She ran over to the broken floorboard in the corner of the room and lifted it up. As expected the gun was staring back at her, she grabbed hold of it and stuffed it into the pocket of her sweater. And then she was off.

She was met with sunshine-filled greenery and she had no idea what direction she should take. This was her life now, she was on the run and she was alone. She knew that Killian wouldn’t kill Emma and she knew that the strong detective would be able to fight off a drunken Killian. Emma would return to Regina and tell everybody that she was in Spain. The search would be called off and she would have to lie low just long enough for Regina to start feeling good again and then she would make her final stand. She didn’t know what would happen to Killian but she knew that she couldn’t trust him with her real plan, it was better this way. She had, after all, always intended on working alone.

Emma had felt her eyes beginning to glaze over again but she was alert as soon as she heard the turn of the doorknob. She had heard Zelena’s plan and she knew that she would be heading abroad, all she had to do was tackle Killian and then she would be able to get Zelena. She didn’t have a plan and she had very little strength left in her but she did have determination and the image of Regina had been tattooed in her mind ever since she had arrived there and if she wasn’t a reason to keep fighting then she didn’t know what was.

“Emma, love. You called?” Killian practically fell through the door and it was clear to Emma that he was highly intoxicated.

She looked him up and down and noticed instantly that he didn’t have his gun with him this time. She looked at the shining silver key that he had just retrieved from his pocket. She knew that this was her one chance and she wasn’t going to waste it. “You came? I’ve missed you.” She did her best to smile at him as genuinely as she could; she knew she had to keep him believing in this fairy tale for as long as possible.

Killian was smiling from ear to ear; he had waited so long to hear those words coming from Emma’s lips. “I’m here now and I have a surprise for you.”

Emma felt sick; everything about Killian repulsed her, from his sleazy grin to his smarmy way of talking. Still, she had to play the part that he desired her to be so she swallowed down her vomit and continued on with her act. “I love surprises. What is it?”

“I’ll show you.” Killian continued to smile and staggered over to the mattress. He leaned forward and gave Emma’s forehead a small kiss. “You need to promise me somethin’ first.”

Emma grimaced and kept her eyes tightly closed while Killian’s lips touched her skin. “Anything,” she squeaked out.

Killian waved the key in front of Emma, “I’m going to release you for a bit. But you need to promise me that you’ll be good.”

Emma nodded, “I promise.” She tried to look him the eye before repeating herself. “I promise I’ll do whatever you want.”

Killian smirked and wrapped his free hand into Emma’s hair and pushed her closer to him, crashing his lips forcefully against hers.

Emma kept her eyes closed so tightly and tried not to think about what was happening. She could taste alcohol and leftover cigarette smoke and she wanted to gag each time that his tongue was shoved against hers. It took her every last remnant of willpower to not pull away and eventually he came up for air and let her free. Her eyes were filled with tears but Killian hadn't noticed as he had already leaned across to unlock the handcuffs which kept her in place.

“I knew you were mine,” he said as he fumbled with the lock due to his drunken haze. Emma waited patiently until she heard that tell-tale click that her handcuffs made upon release.

Killian had barely had a chance to look up from the handcuffs when he saw Emma tugging her hand free. Once she was sure that she was free she leaped to her feet, ignoring the wobbliness that she experienced.

“Swan?” Killian stood and turned to her.

Emma kicked him in the ribs as soon as he looked her way and he doubled over immediately. “I will never be yours!” She shouted and shoved him as hard as she could.

He didn’t fall but his body slammed against the wall behind him. “That ain’t playing nice, is it?” He glared back at her and she was looking at him with an anger which he had never seen before. He swung forward and crashed his fist into her face.

Emma fell to the ground and clutched her bloody nose. Her eyesight was a little patchy from the impact that had hit her but she could still make out Killian and she knew that the only way she was going to get out of there was if he was unconscious. She knew what she had to do; she had trained for years on what to do if she was in this situation and she was going to beat him.

She stood up as quickly as she could and ignored the unbearable stinging which was attacking her nose. Before he could react she charged towards him and tightly gripped her hands around his head, smashing it is as hard as she could against the wall.

Killian let out an anguished scream before falling to the ground in a heap. Emma was shaking and she wiped her dripping bloody nose with the back of her hand. She kicked her shoe against Killian to make sure that he wasn’t going to get up and when he made no movement she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

She turned quickly and made her way out of the room which she had been held captive in. She looked around the room and half expected to see Zelena still there but she was nowhere to be seen. She stumbled around trying to find the exit, she was so exhausted and slightly delirious but she had come so far, she couldn’t give up now.

She soon found the door in the corner of the room and pulled on it with all the force that she had left in her. She was met with a blinding light and miles of shrubbery. She shielded her eyes with her hand, she hadn’t seen sunlight in what felt like forever and the cool air was off-putting and strange.

Once her eyes had adjusted she looked around to try and find anywhere which could be considered safe but all she could see was trees and bushes. She looked ahead of her, she didn’t know what she would find but anywhere would be better than where she had just been. So she ran, a disjointed, wavering motion which didn’t get her anywhere fast but she was determined to keep going.

She could feel her breathing becoming heavier and she was dripping sweat as well as blood. Her eyesight was fading and the trees in front of her were quickly being replaced by large colorful spots. She closed her eyes and fell to the ground, completely exhausted. All she could do now was hope that someone would find her before he did.


End file.
